perimeter

American  

[puh-rim-i-ter] / pəˈrɪm ɪ tər /

noun

1. a line bounding or marking off an area.

   The police created a perimeter with caution tape around the crime scene.

2. the outermost limits.

   Under the new regulations, the smoke-free area for playgrounds and sports areas extends 20 meters from the perimeter of each site.

3. Geometry.

   1. the border or outer boundary of a two-dimensional figure.

   2. the length of such a boundary.

4. Military. a fortified boundary that protects a troop position.

5. Ophthalmology. an instrument for determining the peripheral field of vision.

6. Basketball. Often the perimeter

   1. Also called three-point line.  a semicircular line on a basketball court surrounding the basket, outside of which field goals are worth three points rather than two.

   2. the area outside this line (often used attributively).

      There's no player in the NBA who puts more pressure on opposing defenses from the perimeter than him.

      The team needs an efficient point guard with a great perimeter shot.

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perimeter British  

/ ˌpɛrɪˈmɛtrɪk, pəˈrɪmɪtə /

noun

1. maths

   1. the curve or line enclosing a plane area

   2. the length of this curve or line

2. 1. any boundary around something, such as a field

   2. ( as modifier )

      a perimeter fence

      a perimeter patrol

3. a medical instrument for measuring the limits of the field of vision

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perimeter Scientific  

/ pə-rĭm′ĭ-tər /

1. The sum of the lengths of the segments that form the sides of a polygon.

2. The total length of any closed curve, such as the circumference of a circle.

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Other Word Forms

• perimeterless adjective
• perimetral adjective
• perimetric adjective
• perimetrical adjective
• perimetrically adverb
• perimetry noun

Etymology

Origin of perimeter

First recorded in 1585–95; from French périmètre, from Latin perimetros (feminine), from Greek perímetron (neuter); equivalent to peri- + -meter

Example Sentences

They also put up perimeter fencing to make it harder for people to climb the poles, said Verizon deputy general counsel Rudy Reyes.

From The Wall Street Journal

Firefighters set up a 300-foot perimeter around the fire and continued to battle the flames into the evening, a department spokesman said.

From Los Angeles Times

Spies have been caught with cameras peeping through the fence on the airport’s perimeter.

From The Wall Street Journal

And yet for all the acreage, the icons at the screen’s perimeter are crowded and hard to read.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Expensive Basketball” is an encyclopedic romp through hoops history, footnotes strewn throughout like so many perimeter ball screens, threads blissfully unconnected.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• boundary
• confines
• edge
• fringe
• periphery