[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/centimeter/)

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# centimeter

noun (centimeter, centimeters; cm — American spelling)

«centimeter» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

A centimeter is a small unit of length in the metric system, about the width of a fingernail. 100 centimeters make 1 meter. A meter is 100 centimeters. A centimeter is 10 millimeters. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/centimeter/#m1)

### In the lessons

a unit of length for lines, sides of shapes and small objects; rulers show centimeters; in science, all measurements are metric; phrases «square centimeter» (cm²), «cubic centimeter» (cm³)

### Examples

- The pencil is 15 centimeters long. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/centimeter/#x1)
- A square has sides of 4 centimeters. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/centimeter/#x2)
- 2 meters is 200 centimeters. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/centimeter/#x3)
- Cut 30 centimeters off the ribbon. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/centimeter/#x4)
- Measure the leaf in centimeters. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/centimeter/#x5)
- A ruler is often 30 centimeters long. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/centimeter/#x6)
- The snail moved 5 centimeters in a minute. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/centimeter/#x7)
- She grew 6 centimeters this year. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/centimeter/#x8)
- The ant is less than 1 centimeter long. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/centimeter/#x9)
- The area of the card is 20 square centimeters. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/centimeter/#x10)

### Note

A unit, not a thing counted. Trap: change meters to centimeters (× 100) before adding. The short form is «cm» with no s and no dot. British spelling is «centimetre». 1 inch is about 2.5 centimeters.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «centimeter» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/centimeter/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«centimeter» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/centimeter.html) on Mova free.