liter

IPA/ˈliːtə(r)/
KK[lˈitɚ]IPA/ˈliːtər/

liter — noun

  • litersingular
  • litersplural

1. a unit used for measuring how much space a liquid takes up. One liter equals 1,0

1.nounA2
Definition

a unit used for measuring how much space a liquid takes up. One liter equals 1,000 cubic centimeters, which is a little more than a US quart.

Example

Nila bought a two-liter bottle of soda for the party.

compound modifier: two-liter bottle

The recipe calls for one liter of milk and three eggs.

Common collocations
  • a liter of water
  • a liter of milk
  • two-liter bottle
  • per liter
  • liters of gasoline/oil/soda
Synonyms
  • quart

    a US customary unit of volume. One quart equals about 0.95 liters, so slightly smaller than a liter.

Grammar Patterns

[number] + liter(s) + of + [liquid]

[number]-liter + [container] (as compound modifier)

Usage Note

This is the American English spelling. In British English and other Commonwealth varieties, the spelling is litre (pronounced the same way). The abbreviation is L (capital letter), as in 2 L of water.

Common Mistakes

I need a liter of waters.
I need a liter of water.
water is an uncountable noun and cannot take a plural -s.
This bottle holds 2 liter of soda.
This bottle holds 2 liters of soda.
when the number is greater than 1, use the plural form liters.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Liter, quart, pint, and gallon are all units for measuring liquid volume, but they belong to different measurement systems. A liter (about 1.06 quarts) is a metric unit used in most countries around the world. A quart equals 4 cups or 2 pints, and is commonly used in the United States. A pint (16 fluid ounces, or about 0.47 liters) is smaller than a liter. A gallon (128 fluid ounces, or about 3.79 liters) is much larger. For example, milk in the US is often sold in gallon jugs, while in Taiwan soft drinks commonly come in 2-liter bottles. Learners should be careful when following recipes that use US customary units versus metric units.

quart ↗pint ↗gallon ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • liters of
  • a liter of
  • per liter

Prepositions

  • per liter
  • of liter

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Liter comes from French litre, which was borrowed from Medieval Latin litra, ultimately from Greek λίτρα (lítra), an ancient unit of weight. The metric liter was first defined in France in 1795 as the volume occupied by one kilogram of distilled water at 4°C.