Meaning & use
meters
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“meters” is a form of “meter”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
Units for measuring length in the metric system; one meter equals 100 centimeters.
Grammar: This is the plural of 'meter'; use a number before it, as in 'five meters'.
Patterns
- a few meters
- several meters long
- X meters of something
The pool is twenty-five meters long.
She lives about three hundred meters from the station.
The rope is only two meters, so it is too short.
nounplural
Devices that measure and show an amount, such as gas, electricity, or time.
Grammar: Plural of the countable noun 'meter'; the singular is 'meter'.
Patterns
- read the meters
- check the meters
The utility company reads the meters once a month.
Both parking meters on this street are broken.
He checked the meters before leaving the building.
verbtransitive
Measures something with a device, or measures out a fixed amount of something.
Grammar: Third person singular of the verb 'meter'; it takes an object, as in 'she meters the water'.
Patterns
- meter something
- meter out something
- meter something to someone
The system meters the electricity used by each apartment.
They meter out the fuel carefully during the trip.
A nurse meters the dose before giving the medicine.
Word forms
| base form | meter |
|---|---|
| third person singular | meters |
| past tense | metered |
| past participle | metered |
| -ing form | metering |
Common combinations
- square meters
- The apartment is about ninety square meters.
- cubic meters
- The tank holds fifty cubic meters of water.
- a few meters away
- The bus stop is a few meters away from my house.
- parking meter
- You have to pay at the parking meter.
- meters long
- The whale was almost fifteen meters long.
- read the meter
- Someone comes to read the meter every quarter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- metres
- The British spelling of the same unit; use 'metres' in British English and 'meters' in American English.
- yards
- A similar unit of length, but one yard is slightly shorter than one meter, so the numbers are not equal.
- gauges
- Closer to the device sense, but a gauge usually shows pressure, temperature, or level rather than consumption.
Word family
- meter noun
- The singular form: one unit of length, or a measuring device.
- metered adjective
- Describes something that is measured or charged by a meter, like metered parking.
- metering noun
- The act or process of measuring amounts, especially of gas, water, or electricity.
- metric adjective
- Relating to the metric system of measurement, which is based on the meter.
Commonly confused: meters or metre? meters or liter?
meters vs metre
The British spelling of the same unit; 'meter' is also the American spelling of the measuring device, so British English keeps the two words apart.
meters vs liter
Another metric unit, but it measures volume (liquid or space), not length.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
After a number we need the plural form 'meters', so 'four meters wide' is correct. 'Meter' is singular and cannot follow 'four', and the other options use the wrong form or an unnecessary preposition.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “meters”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.