liter

American  

[lee-ter] / ˈli tər /

especially British, litre

noun

• liters
  plural

1. a unit of capacity redefined in 1964 by a reduction of 28 parts in a million to be exactly equal to one cubic decimeter. It is equivalent to 1.0567 U.S. liquid quarts and is equal to the volume of one kilogram of distilled water at 4°C. l

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liter British  

/ ˈliːtə /

noun

1. the US spelling of litre

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liter Scientific  

/ lē′tər /

1. The basic unit of liquid volume or capacity in the metric system, equal to 1.06 quart or 2.12 pints.

2. See Table at measurement

3. The basic unit of dry volume or capacity in the metric system, equal to 0.90 quart or 1.82 pint.

4. See Table at measurement

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• liters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of liter

1800–10; < French litre, back formation from litron an old measure of capacity, derivative (with -on noun suffix) of Medieval Latin litra < Greek lítra pound

Compare meaning

How does liter compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• gallon vs. liter
• liter vs. milliliter
• pint vs. liter

Explanation

A liter is a liquid unit of measurement. Drinking a liter of water everyday is good for you, though drinking a liter of diet soda probably isn't. A liter is a metric unit that measures volume. You can also spell the word litre, which is actually the most common spelling outside of the United States. Liters most often measure liquids — a large bottle of Coke or Pepsi, for example, typically comes in a two liter size. The French word litre comes from the obsolete litron, which once measured amounts of grain, with its Greek root litra, or "pound."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

liter liters

Specifically, that 2001 testing showed the carcinogenic solvent and dry-cleaning chemical perchloroethylene, or PCE, in the soil at levels as high as 6,658 micrograms per liter, said Alysa Pakkidis, information officer for the agency.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Among participants assigned to eat one avocado per day, LDL particle concentrations fell by 49 nanomoles per liter.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

With fuel trading hands at around $8 per liter on the black market, even a short taxi ride can swallow most of a civil servant's wages.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

Doctors said she lost a liter of blood and her complications were likely worse for having been forced to wait so long to deliver.

From Salon ● May 27, 2026

“My son sucked one liter from my husband’s car this morning, just so I can get to the market. O di egwu. I hope fuel comes soon.”

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

By using multiple electrodes and a technical gas injector, the researchers are increasing the reaction volume from approximately 50 milliliters to five liters.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

However, it also causes patients to produce very large amounts of urine, often 6 to 7 liters per day.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026

In February, Fortescue started running two battery-electric locomotives from Caterpillar’s Progress Rail on its railroad, which it said will reduce its diesel use by roughly 1 million liters annually.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

Maybell Quantum Industries also wants to buy thousands of liters of helium-3 annually from 2029 to 2035.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 31, 2026

So I'm 250 liters short of my 250-liter goal.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir