What does "meter" mean?
A device that measures things.
Meter
/ˈmitəɹ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A device that measures things.
- Grammar: meter is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: measure, metre, accent, accentuation.
- Useful contrasts: centimeters, cubit, dm.
- Usage evidence: A cubic meter corresponds to 1000 liters.
How to use "meter"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "meter" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "meter" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "meter" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "meter" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "meter" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "measure" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "meter", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A device that measures things. countable, uncountable
- 2 US standard spelling of metre (“unit of measure”). US, alt-of, countable, standard, uncountable
"No trees have grown on the windswept Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean for tens of thousands of years — just shrubs and other low-lying vegetation. That’s why a recent arboreal discovery nearly 20 feet (6 meters) beneath the ground caught researchers’ attention."
- 3 US standard spelling of metre (“the rhythm or measure in language”). US, alt-of, countable, standard, uncountable
- 4 any of various measuring instruments for measuring a quantity wordnet
- 5 A device that measures things.; A parking meter or similar device for collecting payment. countable, uncountable
"gas meter"
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A poem. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"A meter of […]berses in the Utopian tongue"
- 7 rhythm as given by division into parts of equal duration wordnet
- 8 One who metes or measures. countable, dated, uncountable
"a labouring coal-meter"
- 9 (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse wordnet
- 10 A line above or below a hanging net, to which the net is attached in order to strengthen it. US, countable, uncountable
- 11 the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards) wordnet
Verb
- 1 To measure with a metering device.
- 2 measure with a meter wordnet
- 3 To imprint a postage mark with a postage meter.
- 4 stamp with a meter indicating the postage wordnet
- 5 To regulate the flow of or to deliver in regulated amounts (usually of fluids but sometimes of other things such as anticipation or breath).
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"A cubic meter corresponds to 1000 liters."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "meter"?
Common synonyms include: measure, metre, accent, accentuation, alexandrine, alliterative meter.
How do you use "meter" in a sentence?
A cubic meter corresponds to 1000 liters.
How do you pronounce "meter"?
Pronounced /ˈmitəɹ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English metere (“one who measures, measurer”), perhaps (with change in suffix) from Old English metend (“one who measures or metes”), equivalent to mete (“to measure”) + -er. The transference from "person who measures" to "device that measures" was probably assisted by association with -meter, as in barometer, etc. Cognate with Scots mettar, metter (“meter, measurer”), Saterland Frisian Meter, Meeter (“measurer, measuring device, gauge”), West Frisian mjitter (“measurer”), Dutch meter (“measurer, gauge”), German Low German Meter (“measuring device, gauge”), German Messer (“measurer, measuring device, gauge”), Swedish mätare (“measurer”).
Etymology 2
Borrowed from French mètre, itself borrowed from Latin metrum, borrowed from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron).
Etymology 3
From Middle English meter, metre, from Old English meter and Old French metre; both from Latin metrum, from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron).