Meaning & use

km

abbreviation·Everyday

The standard abbreviation for kilometer, a unit of length equal to 1,000 meters.

See it in a sentence

The marathon course measured 42 km from start to finish.

Road signs in most countries outside the US show distances in km.

A note on using this word

Km is written without a period in most style guides and stays the same in both singular and plural.

Words with a similar meaning

This term is best learned through its definition and examples.

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “km”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.