Meaning & use
liter
Last updated
UK/ˈliːtə/
US/ˈliːtər/
Meaning
nouncountable
A metric unit of volume equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters, about 1.06 US quarts.
Grammar: Can be used with a number: two liters of water. The British spelling is 'litre'.
Patterns
- a liter of something
- liters of something
I bought a liter of milk at the store.
The car's engine is 2.0 liters.
Word forms
| plural | liters |
|---|
Common combinations
- a liter of water
- Drink at least a liter of water every day.
- liters of fuel
- The tank holds about 50 liters of fuel.
- per liter
- The price is $1.50 per liter.
- half a liter
- She bought half a liter of cream.
Synonyms and how they differ
- litre
- The British spelling of the same unit; 'liter' is the American spelling.
Word family
- milliliter noun
- A unit of volume equal to one thousandth of a liter.
- liter noun
- The base unit itself; no other common family members.
Commonly confused: liter or meter? liter or quart?
liter vs meter
A unit of length, not volume. 'Liter' measures how much liquid something holds; 'meter' measures distance.
liter vs quart
An American unit of volume slightly smaller than a liter; 1 liter is about 1.06 quarts.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'liter' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Liter' measures volume, so it is used with liquids like juice. The other options use units that do not measure volume.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “liter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.