centimeter

especially British, cen·ti·me·tre

[sen-tuh-mee-ter]

noun

1. one 100th of a meter, equivalent to 0.3937 inch. cm, cm.

centimeter

1. A unit of length in the metric system equal to 0.01 meter.

2. See Table at measurement

centimeter

1. A unit of length in the metric system; one-hundredth of a meter, or about two-fifths of an inch.

Word History and Origins

Origin of centimeter¹

From the French word centimètre, dating back to 1795–1805. See centi-, meter ¹

Example Sentences

“It wasn’t the hardest project,” Gibson says, “but you do have to measure each tile to the centimeter because the apartment has moved slightly over the years, presumably from earthquakes.”

From Los Angeles Times

“But they brought it out, did a demo and I measured the lines after it was done and they were within a centimeter.”

From Los Angeles Times

In the end, only a tiny tsunami, measured at 5 centimeters, was recorded in December.

From Los Angeles Times

It will detect changes and land, ice, or coastal shifts as small as centimeters, says Ms Mitra.

From BBC

Interplanetary space contains just a few dozen particles in each cubic centimeter — in comparison, the air we breathe has tens of quintillions of molecules per cubic centimeter.

From Salon