Metre
//ˈmiːtəɹ// noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International d'Unités), equal to the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299 792 458 seconds. The metre is equal to 39+⁴⁷⁄₁₂₇ (approximately 39.37) imperial inches.
"Holonyms: kilometre < megametre < gigametre < terametre < petametre"
- 2 The rhythm or measure in language (especially verse) and musical composition. Canada, UK, countable, uncountable
- 3 rhythm as given by division into parts of equal duration wordnet
- 4 (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse wordnet
- 5 the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards) wordnet
Verb
- 1 Alternative spelling of meter. UK, alt-of, alternative, rare
- 2 To put into metrical form.
Example
More examples"The words above the door of the theatre were a metre high."
Etymology
Etymology 1
From French mètre, from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure, rule, length, size, poetic metre”). Doublet of meter, metron, and mether.
Etymology 2
From Old English, from Latin metrum, from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure, rule, length, size, poetic metre”).
Related phrases
More for "metre"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.