litre
Britishnoun
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one cubic decimetre
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(formerly) the volume occupied by 1 kilogram of pure water at 4°C and 760 millimetres of mercury. This is equivalent to 1.000 028 cubic decimetres or about 1.76 pints
Etymology
Origin of litre
C19: from French, from Medieval Latin litra, from Greek: a unit of weight
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By 2023 global dairy production had risen and prices had fallen back to 45p a litre, break-even point for most farmers.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
Industry figures show farmers are paid 32–35p a litre, while production costs can reach nearly 42-49p.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
Diesel prices rose by more than 30p in April to take the average price to 190p per litre, the highest average since July 2022.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
The average price of unleaded petrol has risen to 158.52p a litre, its highest level since the start of the Iran war, according to the RAC.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
The instructions also suggested survivors restrict themselves to half a litre of water every twenty-four hours.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
