meter

UK: /ˈmiːtə^r/ US: /ˈmitɚ/ ,(mē′tər)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

me•ter¹ /ˈmitɚ/   n. [countable]

1. Weights and Measures a unit of length, equivalent to 39.37 U.S. inches;
   now defined as 1&sfracdenom;299,792,458&sfracend; of the distance light travels in a vacuum in one second. Abbr.: m

See -meter-.
me•ter² /ˈmitɚ/   n. 

1. Music and Dance
   • [uncountable] the rhythmic element in music.
   • [countable] the unit of measurement adopted for a given piece of music.
2. Poetry [uncountable] the arrangement of words in poetic rhymes.

See -meter-.
me•ter³ /ˈmitɚ/   n. [countable]

1. Weights and Measures an instrument for measuring and recording the quantity of something, as of water, miles, or time:
   an electric meter.
2. parking meter:
   a few more minutes left on the meter.

v. [~ + object]

3. to measure by means of a meter:
   The gas was metered.
4. Stamps to process (mail) by means of a postage meter.

See -meter-.
-meter-, root. 

1. Weights and Measures -meter- comes from Greek, where it has the meaning "measure.'' This meaning is found in such words as: anemometer, barometer, centimeter, diameter, geometry, kilometer, meter, metric, metronome, odometer, parameter, pedometer, perimeter, symmetry.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

me•ter¹  (mē′tər), n. 

1. Weights and Measures the fundamental unit of length in the metric system, equivalent to 39.37 U.S. inches, originally intended to be, and being very nearly, equal to one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the pole measured on a meridian: defined from 1889 to 1960 as the distance between two lines on a platinum-iridium bar (the "International Prototype Meter'') preserved at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures near Paris;
   from 1960 to 1983 defined as 1,650,763.73 wavelengths of the orange-red radiation of krypton 86 under specified conditions;
   and now defined as ¹⁄_299,792,458 of the distance light travels in a vacuum in one second. Abbr.: m Also,[Brit.,] metre. 

• Greek métron measure
• French mètre
• 1790–1800

me•ter²  (mē′tər), n. 

1. Music and Dance
   • the rhythmic element as measured by division into parts of equal time value.
   • the unit of measurement, in terms of number of beats, adopted for a given piece of music. Cf. measure (def. 14).
2. [Pros.]
   • poetic measure;
     arrangement of words in regularly measured, patterned, or rhythmic lines or verses.
   • a particular form of such arrangement, depending on either the kind or the number of feet constituting the verse or both rhythmic kind and number of feet (usually used in combination):
     pentameter* dactylic meter;
     iambic trimeter.

Also,[Brit.,] metre. 

• Latin as above
• Middle French
• Greek métron measure; replacing Middle English metre
• Latin metrum poetic meter, verse
• Middle English metir, metur, Old English meter bef. 900

me•ter³  (mē′tər), n. 

1. Weights and Measures an instrument for measuring, esp. one that automatically measures and records the quantity of something, as of gas, water, miles, or time, when it is activated.
2. See parking meter. 

v.t. 

3. to measure by means of a meter.
4. Stamps to process (mail) by means of a postage meter.

Also,[Brit.,] metre. 

• see mete¹, -er¹ 1805–15

-meter, 

1. Weights and Measures a combining form meaning "measure,'' used in the names of instruments measuring quantity, extent, degree, etc.:
   altimeter; barometer.
   Cf. -metry. 

• Greek métron measure
• Neo-Latin -metrum

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

meter / ˈmiːtə/ noun

1. the US spelling of metre1

meter / ˈmiːtə/ noun

meter / ˈmiːtə/ noun

1. any device that measures and records the quantity of a substance, such as gas, that has passed through it during a specified period
2. See parking meter

verb (transitive)

1. to measure (a rate of flow) with a meter

Etymology: 19th Century: see mete¹

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

me•tre /ˈmitɚ/   n., v., -tred, -tring. 

1. Weights and Measures, British Terms [Chiefly Brit.] meter.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

me•tre  (mē′tər), n., v., -tred, -tring. [Brit.]

1. Weights and Measures, British Terms meter.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

-meter combining_form:in_noun:countable

1. indicating an instrument for measuring: barometer
2. indicating a verse having a specified number of feet: pentameter

Etymology: from Greek metron measure

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

metre, meter / ˈmiːtə/ noun

1. a metric unit of length equal to approximately 1.094 yards
2. the basic SI unit of length; the length of the path travelled by light in free space during a time interval of 1/299 792 458 of a second. In 1983 this definition replaced the previous one based on krypton-86, which in turn had replaced the definition based on the platinum-iridium metre bar kept in Paris

Symbol: m Etymology: 18th Century: from French; see metre²

metre, meter / ˈmiːtə/ noun

1. the rhythmic arrangement of syllables in verse, usually according to the number and kind of feet in a line
2. another word (esp US) for time22

Etymology: 14th Century: from Latin metrum, from Greek metron measure