litre

IPA/ˈliːtə(r)/
IPA/ˈliːtər/

litre — noun

  • litresingular
  • litresplural

1. A unit of measurement in the metric system used for expressing how much space a

1.nounA2
Definition

A unit of measurement in the metric system used for expressing how much space a liquid or gas occupies. One litre equals one thousand cubic centimetres, or roughly 1.76 British pints.

Example

Theo filled the car's tank with thirty litres of petrol at the station.

collocation: 'litres of [fuel]' for amounts

Aiko bought a two-litre bottle of lemonade for her birthday party.

compound adjective: [number]-litre [container]

Common collocations
  • litre of water
  • litre of milk
  • litre of petrol
  • half a litre
  • two-litre bottle
  • litres per hour
  • per litre

Grammar Patterns

[number] + litre(s) + of + [substance]

Usage Note

Often paired with 'of' before the substance being measured: 'litre of milk', 'litres of water'. The spelling 'liter' is the American English variant.

Common Mistakes

There is one litre water in the bottle.
There is one litre of water in the bottle.
A measure word like 'litre' needs 'of' before the substance.
I need to buy a liter of milk.
I need to buy a litre of milk.
In British English (used in Taiwan materials), the spelling is 'litre', not 'liter'.

Word family

  • millilitre
    nounA2
  • centilitre
    nounB1
  • kilolitre
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Litre, pint, quart, and gallon all measure volume but belong to different systems. The litre is the standard metric unit used in most countries, including Taiwan, for everyday liquids such as milk, petrol, and soft drinks. A pint is an imperial unit equal to roughly 0.568 litres in Britain or 0.473 litres in the US — the two systems differ. A quart (one quarter of a gallon) equals about 0.946 litres in the US or 1.136 litres in Britain. A gallon is the largest of the four: a US gallon is about 3.785 litres, while a British (imperial) gallon is about 4.546 litres. For learners, 'litre' is the safest choice in international contexts since metric units are globally understood and consistent.

pint ↗gallon ↗quart ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • per litre
  • half a litre
  • litres per hour
  • litre of milk
  • litre of water
  • litre of petrol
  • litre of paint
  • litre of wine
  • one-litre bottle
  • two-litre bottle

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'litre' comes from French 'litron', an older French unit for measuring grain. The French took it from Medieval Latin 'litra', which in turn came from Ancient Greek 'λίτρα' (lítra), a Sicilian coin and a measure of weight. The metric system adopted the term in the late 18th century as a unit of volume for water, later refined to 1,000 cubic centimetres.