meter

Everyday

1. A meter is a unit for measuring length. A meter has 100 centimeters; it is about one big step of a grown-up. tree →
2. A meter is also a tool that measures and shows how much of something is used, like a water meter, a gas meter or a parking meter. tree →
3. In poems, meter is the beat or rhythm of the lines. tree →

In the lessons

a unit of length for ribbons, ropes, fences, roads and runs; problems give meters per piece, meters run per minute or meters to change into centimeters; in science lengths are written in meters (m); in everyday life a parking meter or taxi meter counts money; phrases «square meter», «cubic meter», «100-meter race»

Examples

• A rope is 12 meters long. tree →
• Sam runs 400 meters every day. tree →
• The fence is 3 meters longer than the wall. tree →
• How many centimeters are in 5 meters? tree →
• The pool is 25 meters long. tree →
• Dad put coins in the parking meter. tree →
• The room has an area of 20 square meters. tree →
• The water meter shows how much water we used. tree →

Note

A unit, not a thing counted: the number before it is the length. 1 meter = 100 centimeters, 1000 meters = 1 kilometer. Trap: change units before you add meters to centimeters. «Meter» is the US spelling; in the UK, Australia and Ireland the unit is «metre», but a measuring tool is a «meter» everywhere. Short form m.