Meaning & use

nm

abbreviation·Academic

Nanometer, a unit of length equal to one billionth of a meter, used to measure very small distances.

See it in a sentence

Visible light has wavelengths that range from about 380 to 750 nm.

The new microchip's transistors are fabricated at just a few nm in size.

A note on using this word

Common in physics, chemistry, and technology; in casual texting, lowercase "nm" is also used informally to mean "not much."

Words with a similar meaning

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Another way to use it

2. abbreviation

Informal texting shorthand for "not much," used to answer a casual greeting.

"What's up?" "Nm, just watching TV."

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