millimeter

American  

[mil-uh-mee-ter] / ˈmɪl əˌmi tər /

especially British, millimetre

noun

1. a unit of length equal to one thousandth of a meter and equivalent to 0.03937 inch. mm

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millimeter Scientific  

/ mĭl′ə-mē′tər /

1. A unit of length in the metric system equal to 0.001 meter.

2. See Table at measurement

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Other Word Forms

• millimetric adjective

Etymology

Origin of millimeter

First recorded in 1800–10; from French millimètre; milli-, meter ¹

Example Sentences

Achieving higher resolution usually means placing the lens extremely close to the object, sometimes just millimeters away.

From Science Daily

According to Miskin, independence at sizes below one millimeter has remained an unsolved challenge.

From Science Daily

The decision should be carefully considered, she added: “This is a procedure where a millimeter makes a tremendous difference—it could really change how you look.”

From The Wall Street Journal

When fully developed, the organoids reached about three millimeters in diameter.

From Science Daily

Doctors later told me it was millimeters between life and death, “a miracle” I survived.

From The Wall Street Journal