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• metric
  metric

  adjective

  pertaining to the meter or to the metric system.
• -metric
  -metric

  a combining form occurring in adjectives that correspond to nouns ending in -meter (barometric ) or -metry (geometric ).

metric

¹ American  

[me-trik] / ˈmɛ trɪk /

adjective

1. pertaining to the meter or to the metric system.

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noun

1. Often metrics a standard for measuring or evaluating something, especially one that uses figures or statistics.

   new metrics for gauging an organization’s diversity;

   pretty good by any metric.

metric ² American  

[me-trik] / ˈmɛ trɪk /

adjective

1. pertaining to distance.

   metric geometry.

2. metrical.

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noun

1. Mathematics. a nonnegative real-valued function having properties analogous to those of the distance between points on a real line, as the distance between two points being independent of the order of the points, the distance between two points being zero if, and only if, the two points coincide, and the distance between two points being less than or equal to the sum of the distances from each point to an arbitrary third point.

-metric ³ American  

1. a combining form occurring in adjectives that correspond to nouns ending in -meter (barometric ) or -metry (geometric ).

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metric British  

/ ˈmɛtrɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the metre or metric system

2. maths denoting or relating to a set containing pairs of points for each of which a non-negative real number ρ( x, y ) (the distance) can be defined, satisfying specific conditions

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noun

1. maths the function ρ( x, y ) satisfying the conditions of membership of such a set (a metric space )

metric Scientific  

/ mĕt′rĭk /

1. Relating to the meter or the metric system.

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Usage

What does -metric mean? The combining form -metric is used like a suffix meaning “of or relating to a measure or the process of measurement.” It denotes the adjective form of words ending in -meter and -metry. The form -metric is often used in scientific terms. The form -metric comes from Greek -metrikos, meaning “of or relating to measure.” Find out how -metrikos is related to diameter, isometric, and metronome at our entries for these words. What are variants of -metric?While -metric doesn't have any variants, it's related to the form -metrics, as in biometrics. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article for -metrics.

Etymology

Origin of metric¹

1860–65; < French métrique, derivative of mètre meter ¹; see -ic

Origin of metric²

1750–60; < Latin metricus < Greek metrikós of, relating to measuring. See meter ², -ic

Origin of -metric³

< Greek -metrikos; see meter ², -metry, -ic

Explanation

If something’s metric, it’s related to a system that uses the meter as a basic measurement. If someone says they'll sell you 3 meters of silk, then you know that the metric system is being used. The word metric traces back to the French word métriquei, from mèter. The word is most often used to describe a widely used system of measurement based on the meter, called the metric system. Metric can describe the system as well as things related to the metric system. If your science teacher asks you to measure an object using metric units, you’ll be using centimeters and millimeters, rather than inches or feet. In music, metric refers to the rhythmic measures.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

metric

Then I used workers’ reported occupations to merge them onto Digital Planet’s new AI Exposure metric.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

I like this metric, because it doesn’t just try to figure out how many workers will be replaced by AI.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

The aluminum company said it now expects to produce between 200,000 and 300,000 fewer metric tons of alumina in 2026, for a total production of 9.5 million to 9.6 million metric tons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Netflix has not published an update on its subscriber count since the first quarter of 2025, deeming the once closely followed metric too volatile.

From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026

One scientist estimates that if you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons —an inconceivable number, given that an individual cell weighs almost nothing.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot