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• meter
  meter

  noun

  the fundamental unit of length in the metric system, equivalent to 39.37 U.S. inches, originally intended to be, and being very nearly, equal to one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the pole measured on a meridian: defined from 1889 to 1960 as the distance between two lines on a platinum-iridium bar (the “International Prototype Meter”) preserved at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures near Paris; from 1960 to 1983 defined as 1,650,763.73 wavelengths of the orange-red radiation of krypton 86 under specified conditions; and now defined as 1/299,792,458 of the distance light travels in a vacuum in one second. m
• -meter
  -meter

  a combining form meaning “measure,” used in the names of instruments measuring quantity, extent, degree, etc..

meter

¹ American  

[mee-ter] / ˈmi tər /

especially British, metre

noun

1. the fundamental unit of length in the metric system, equivalent to 39.37 U.S. inches, originally intended to be, and being very nearly, equal to one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the pole measured on a meridian: defined from 1889 to 1960 as the distance between two lines on a platinum-iridium bar (the “International Prototype Meter”) preserved at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures near Paris; from 1960 to 1983 defined as 1,650,763.73 wavelengths of the orange-red radiation of krypton 86 under specified conditions; and now defined as 1/299,792,458 of the distance light travels in a vacuum in one second. m

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meter ² American  

[mee-ter] / ˈmi tər /

especially British, metre

noun

1. Music.

   1. the rhythmic element as measured by division into parts of equal time value.

   2. the unit of measurement, in terms of number of beats, adopted for a given piece of music.

2. Prosody.

   1. poetic measure; arrangement of words in regularly measured, patterned, or rhythmic lines or verses.

   2. a particular form of such arrangement, depending on either the kind or the number of feet constituting the verse or both rhythmic kind and number of feet (usually used in combination).

      pentameter; dactylic meter; iambic trimeter.

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meter ³ American  

[mee-ter] / ˈmi tər /

especially British, metre

noun

1. an instrument for measuring, especially one that automatically measures and records the quantity of something, as of gas, water, miles, or time, when it is activated.

2. parking meter.

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verb (used with object)

metered, metering

1. to measure by means of a meter.

2. to process (mail) by means of a postage meter.

-meter ⁴ American  

1. a combining form meaning “measure,” used in the names of instruments measuring quantity, extent, degree, etc..

   altimeter; barometer.

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meter ¹ British  

/ ˈmiːtə /

noun

1. the US spelling of metre 1

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-meter ² British  

combining form

1. indicating an instrument for measuring

   barometer

2. prosody indicating a verse having a specified number of feet

   pentameter

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meter ³ British  

/ ˈmiːtə /

noun

1. the US spelling of metre 2

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meter ⁴ British  

/ ˈmiːtə /

noun

1. any device that measures and records the quantity of a substance, such as gas, that has passed through it during a specified period

2. any device that measures and sometimes records an electrical or magnetic quantity, such as current, voltage, etc

3. See parking meter

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verb

1. to measure (a rate of flow) with a meter

2. to print with stamps by means of a postage meter

meter Scientific  

/ mē′tər /

1. The basic unit of length in the metric system, equal to 39.37 inches.

2. See Table at measurement

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meter ¹ Cultural  

1. The basic unit of length in the metric system; it was originally planned so that the circumference of the Earth would be measured at about forty million meters. A meter is 39.37 inches. Today, the meter is defined to be the distance light travels in 1 / 299,792,458 seconds.

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meter ² Cultural  

1. The highly organized rhythm characteristic of verse; the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line. (See iambic pentameter.)

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Usage

What does -meter mean? The combining form -meter is used like a suffix meaning “measure” or "measuring instrument." It is often used in scientific and technical terms. The form -meter comes from Greek métron, meaning “measure.” Find out how métron is also the source of diameter, isometric, and metronome at our entries for these words. What are variants of -meter?While -meter doesn't have any variants, it's related to the forms -metric, -metrics, and -metry.. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for these forms.

Other Word Forms

• unmetered
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of meter¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; from French mètre, from Greek métron “measure”

Origin of meter²

First recorded before 900; Middle English metir, metur, Old English meter, from Latin metrum “poetic rhythm or meter, verse,” from Greek métron “measure”; replacing Middle English metre, from Middle French metre, from Latin as above

Origin of meter³

First recorded in 1805–15; see origin at mete ¹, -er ¹

Origin of -meter⁴

< New Latin -metrum < Greek métron measure

Explanation

The machine at the parking space that takes your quarters is a meter. A meter is also a way of organizing and counting beats in poetry or music, and in the metric system, a meter is roughly equal to a yard. Despite the fact that meter has many uses, they all relate to the same things: counting and measuring. The parking meter measures how long you've been parked, while a car's speedometer measures speed. Meters and kilometers measure distance. In music and poetry, the meter is the rhythm or beat. English poetry, such as the work of Shakespeare, uses a meter called iambic pentameter, which sounds like da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

meter metered metering

They also installed advanced sensors that can detect movement up to one-billionth of a meter by using fiber optic cables that can extend or compress if any ground deformation occurs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

If Ms. Wilson has tinkered with Homer’s value system, as some allege, she has also kept closer than others to the original length and meter of the poem.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Scientists wanted to determine whether confining water to spaces just billionths of a meter across changes how readily this splitting occurs.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026

The EPA's 24-hour standard caps exposure at 35 micrograms per cubic meter.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

Much of the meter in Don Juan only works if you read Juan as bi-syllabic.

From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green

AI firms and software companies have implemented metered usage as a component of their enterprise pricing as customers have boosted investments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

Golden Valley has about 50,000 metered connections and serves an area the size of Connecticut.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

Data centres' share of Irish metered electricity consumption reached 22 percent by 2024, compared to an EU-wide average of 2-3 percent, according to official data.

From Barron's ● Nov. 19, 2025

One difference is that water is not metered and directly charged in Scotland where purifying, pumping and piping the stuff around is funded through the council tax.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2025

Felicia misses those peaceful nights with her mother, when the sea had metered their intertwined thoughts.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Elora Mukherjee: The metering policy was first implemented by DHS in 2016 and then it was formalized into written guidance in 2018.

From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026

The company has begun metering computing supply to users during peak hours, but the rollout has been marred by customers who have complained that they are reaching the limit far too quickly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

"Somehow they are metering their intake, so maybe zero to 1% is a more likely concentration that they would find in the wild than anything higher," he said.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 25, 2026

Aircraft engines rely on a precise fuel metering system - if that system gets blocked, it can lead to fuel starvation and engine shutdown.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2025

As the valve is drawn up the gasoline passage is enlarged on account of the predetermined taper on the metering pin, and the air passage also is increased proportionately, giving the correct mixture.

From Aviation Engines Design?Construction?Operation and Repair by Pag?, Victor Wilfred

Related Words

• feet