Standard Lemma guide

meter

noun · verb · 16 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • mē′tər
  • rhymes with -iːtə(ɹ)
  • /ˈmitəɹ/
  • General-American: [ˈmiɾɚ]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmiːtə/
  • South-Asia: /ˈmiːʈər/
  • mĕt′ər
  • rhymes with -ɛtə(ɹ)
  • South-Asia, uncommon: /mĕʈ.ɜr/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M IY1 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A device that measures things.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A device that measures things.

A parking meter or similar device for collecting payment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • gas meter

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

One who metes or measures.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, dated, uncountable

Examples

  • a labouring coal-meter

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A line above or below a hanging net, to which the net is attached in order to strengthen it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

US standard spelling of metre (“a unit of measure”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, alt-of, countable, standard, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

US standard spelling of metre (“the rhythm or measure”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, alt-of, countable, standard, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A poem.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To measure with a metering device.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To imprint a postage mark with a postage meter.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To regulate the flow of or to deliver in regulated amounts (usually of fluids but sometimes of other things such as anticipation or breath).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

any of various measuring instruments for measuring a quantity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: measuring instrument, measuring system, measuring device

Narrower terms: ammeter, electric meter, power meter, electrometer, fluxmeter, galvanometer, gas meter, gasometer, magnetometer, gaussmeter, odometer, hodometer, mileometer, milometer, ohmmeter, postage meter, radiometer, reflectometer, speedometer, speed indicator, taximeter, voltmeter, volumeter, water meter

12

noun

Meaning 12

rhythm as given by division into parts of equal duration

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: metre, time

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rhythmicity

13

noun

Meaning 13

(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: metre, measure, beat, cadence

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: poetic rhythm, rhythmic pattern, prosody

Narrower terms: catalexis, scansion, common measure, common meter, metrical foot, foot, metrical unit

14

noun

Meaning 14

the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: metre, m

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: metric linear unit

15

verb

Meaning 15

measure with a meter

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • meter the flow of water

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: quantify, measure

16

verb

Meaning 16

stamp with a meter indicating the postage

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • meter the mail

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stamp

History

Etymology

From Middle English metere (“one who measures, measurer”), perhaps (with change in suffix) from Old English metend (“one who measures or metes”), equivalent to mete (“to measure”) + -er. The transference from "person who measures" to "device that measures" was probably assisted by association with -meter, as in barometer, etc. Cognate with Scots mettar, metter (“meter, measurer”), Saterland Frisian Meter, Meeter (“measurer, measuring device, gauge”), West Frisian mjitter (“measurer”), Dutch meter (“measurer, gauge”), German Low German Meter (“measuring device, gauge”), German Messer (“measurer, measuring device, gauge”), Swedish mätare (“measurer”).

Borrowed from French mètre, itself borrowed from Latin metrum, borrowed from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron).

From Middle English meter, metre, from Old English meter and Old French metre; both from Latin metrum, from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron).

Across languages

Translations

132 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مِقْيَاس (miqyās) — measuring instrument
  • Armenian: հաշվիչ (hašvičʻ) — measuring instrument
  • Armenian: չափիչ (čʻapʻičʻ) — measuring instrument
  • Azerbaijani: sayğac — measuring instrument
  • Basque: kontagailu — measuring instrument
  • Belarusian: лічы́льнік (ličýlʹnik) — measuring instrument
  • Belarusian: вымяра́льнік (vymjarálʹnik) — measuring instrument
  • Belarusian: выме́рнік (vymjérnik) — measuring instrument
  • Bulgarian: измери́телен у́ред (izmerítelen úred) — measuring instrument
  • Bulgarian: броя́ч (brojáč) — measuring instrument
  • Catalan: comptador — measuring instrument
  • Chinese Mandarin: 計量表 /计量表 (jìliángbiǎo) — measuring instrument
  • Czech: metr — measuring instrument
  • Czech: měřič — measuring instrument
  • Danish: måler — measuring instrument
  • Dutch: meter — measuring instrument
  • Dutch: teller — measuring instrument
  • Esperanto: mezurilo — measuring instrument
  • Esperanto: komptilo — measuring instrument
  • Estonian: mõõtja — measuring instrument
  • Finnish: mittari — measuring instrument
  • Finnish: mitta — measuring instrument
  • Finnish: mittatikku — measuring instrument
  • French: mètre — measuring instrument
  • French: compteur — measuring instrument
  • Galician: contador — measuring instrument
  • Georgian: მთვლელი (mtvleli) — measuring instrument
  • Georgian: საზომი (sazomi) — measuring instrument
  • Georgian: მზომი (mzomi) — measuring instrument
  • German: Messgerät — measuring instrument
  • Greek: μέτρο (métro) — measuring instrument
  • Greek: ρολόι (rolói) — measuring instrument
  • Hebrew: מֶטֶר (méter) — measuring instrument
  • Hebrew: מִדָּה (midá) — measuring instrument
  • Hungarian: mérőóra — measuring instrument
  • Hungarian: fogyasztásmérő (óra) — measuring instrument
  • Indonesian: meteran — measuring instrument
  • Indonesian: penghitung — measuring instrument
  • Irish: méadar — measuring instrument
  • Italian: metro — measuring instrument
  • Italian: contatore — measuring instrument
  • Japanese: メーター (mētā) — measuring instrument
  • Japanese: 計量器 (keiryōki) — measuring instrument
  • Kazakh: өлшеуіш (ölşeuış) — measuring instrument
  • Khmer: កុងទ័រ (kongtɔə) — measuring instrument
  • Korean: 계량기 (gyeryanggi) — measuring instrument
  • Central Kurdish: مەتر (metir) — measuring instrument
  • Kyrgyz: өлчөгүч (ölcögüc) — measuring instrument
  • Latvian: mērītājs — measuring instrument
  • Lithuanian: metras — measuring instrument
  • Lithuanian: matuoklis — measuring instrument
  • Macedonian: мерач (merač) — measuring instrument
  • Malay: meter — measuring instrument
  • Māori: ine — measuring instrument
  • Mongolian: тоолуур (tooluur) — measuring instrument
  • Norwegian Bokmål: måler — measuring instrument
  • Persian: اندازهگیر (andâze-gir) — measuring instrument
  • Persian: سنجه (sanje) — measuring instrument
  • Plautdietsch: Tala — measuring instrument
  • Polish: miernik — measuring instrument
  • Portuguese: contador — measuring instrument
  • Romanian: metru — measuring instrument
  • Romanian: contor — measuring instrument
  • Russian: счётчик (sčótčik) — measuring instrument
  • Russian: измери́тель (izmerítelʹ) — measuring instrument
  • Scottish Gaelic: inneal-tomhais — measuring instrument
  • Serbo-Croatian: ме̏тар — measuring instrument
  • Serbo-Croatian: mȅtar — measuring instrument
  • Slovak: merač — measuring instrument
  • Slovene: števec — measuring instrument
  • Spanish: medidor — measuring instrument
  • Spanish: contador — measuring instrument
  • Spanish: metro — measuring instrument
  • Swedish: mätare — measuring instrument
  • Swedish: -meter — measuring instrument
  • Thai: มิเตอร์ (mí-dtə̂ə) — measuring instrument
  • Turkish: metre — measuring instrument
  • Ukrainian: лічи́льник (ličýlʹnyk) — measuring instrument
  • Ukrainian: вимі́рник (vymírnyk) — measuring instrument
  • Ukrainian: вимі́рювач (vymírjuvač) — measuring instrument
  • Vietnamese: cái đo — measuring instrument
  • Vietnamese: người đo — measuring instrument
  • Czech: parkovací hodiny — short form of parking meter
  • Dutch: meter — short form of parking meter
  • Dutch: teller — short form of parking meter
  • Finnish: mittari — short form of parking meter
  • Hungarian: parkolóóra — short form of parking meter
  • Swedish: mätare — short form of parking meter
  • Bulgarian: стих (stih) — increment of music
  • Chinese Mandarin: 节拍 (jié pāi) — increment of music
  • Finnish: tahtilaji — increment of music
  • German: Metrum — increment of music
  • Greek: μέτρο (métro) — increment of music
  • Irish: méadar — increment of music
  • Japanese: 拍子 (hyōshi) — increment of music
  • Norwegian Bokmål: takt — increment of music
  • Polish: metrum — increment of music
  • Romanian: metru — increment of music
  • Romanian: ritm — increment of music
  • Swedish: takt — increment of music
  • Swedish: taktart — increment of music
  • Arabic: وَزْن (wazn) — rhythm of poetry
  • Arabic: بَحْر (baḥr) — rhythm of poetry
  • Bulgarian: ри́тъм (rítǎm) — rhythm of poetry
  • Dutch: versmaat — rhythm of poetry
  • Dutch: metrum — rhythm of poetry
  • Faroese: ørindislag — rhythm of poetry
  • Finnish: runomitta — rhythm of poetry
  • German: Versmaß — rhythm of poetry
  • German: Metrum — rhythm of poetry
  • German: Silbenmaß — rhythm of poetry
  • Greek: μέτρο (métro) — rhythm of poetry
  • Ancient Greek: μέτρον (métron) — rhythm of poetry
  • Hungarian: versmérték — rhythm of poetry
  • Irish: aiste — rhythm of poetry
  • Irish: meadaracht — rhythm of poetry
  • Japanese: 韻律 (inritsu) — rhythm of poetry
  • Khmer: បាទ (baat) — rhythm of poetry
  • Khmer: មាត្រា (miətraa) — rhythm of poetry
  • Latin: metrum — rhythm of poetry
  • Macedonian: ме́тар (métar) — rhythm of poetry
  • Persian: وزن (vazn) — rhythm of poetry
  • Persian: بحر (bahr) — rhythm of poetry
  • Polish: metrum — rhythm of poetry
  • Polish: metr — rhythm of poetry
  • Polish: miara — rhythm of poetry
  • Russian: разме́р (razmér) — rhythm of poetry
  • Russian: ритм (ritm) — rhythm of poetry
  • Serbo-Croatian: ме̏тар — rhythm of poetry
  • Serbo-Croatian: mȅtar — rhythm of poetry
  • Spanish: métrica — rhythm of poetry
  • Swedish: versmått — rhythm of poetry
Real reading context

meter in complete knowledge articles