metre

IPA/ˈmiːtə(r)/
KK[mˈitɚ]IPA/ˈmiːtər/

metre — noun

  • metresingular
  • metresplural

1. a unit used for measuring how long something is, equal to 100 centimetres (about

1.nounA1
Definition

a unit used for measuring how long something is, equal to 100 centimetres (about 1.1 yards).

Example

The swimming pool at the local leisure centre is twenty-five metres long.

collocation: [number] + metres + long/wide/deep

Romi bought two metres of blue fabric from the market stall.

Common collocations
  • square metre
  • cubic metre
  • metres long
  • metres wide
  • metres deep
  • metres high
  • per metre
  • metre ruler
  • metre stick
Synonyms
  • unit

    much more general; metre is a specific type of unit

  • yard

    imperial unit close in length (0.91 m), used mainly in the US and UK for certain contexts

Grammar Patterns

[number] + metre(s) + long/wide/deep/high

[number] + metre(s) + of + [noun]

Usage Note

In British English the spelling 'metre' is used for the unit of length; 'meter' (same pronunciation) refers to a measuring device such as a gas meter or parking meter. American English uses 'meter' for both.

Common Mistakes

The table is 2 meter wide.
The table is 2 metres wide.
Metre is a countable noun; add -s in the plural after numbers greater than one.
The gas metre shows how much energy we used.
The gas meter shows how much energy we used.
A 'meter' is a device that reads a quantity; 'metre' is a unit of length.

2. the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables arranged in regular groups with

2.nounB2
Definition

the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables arranged in regular groups within a line of poetry, creating a steady rhythm.

Example

Shanti studied the metre of Shakespeare's sonnets in her English literature class.

the metre of + [text]

Traditional Chinese poetry follows strict rules of metre and rhyme.

strict rules of metre and rhyme

Common collocations
  • iambic metre
  • poetic metre
  • metre and rhyme
  • irregular metre
  • strict metre
  • the metre of the poem
Synonyms
  • rhythm

    broader term; metre is the structured, measurable form of rhythm in poetry

  • beat

    informal, used for the underlying pulse; less precise than metre

  • verse form

    includes metre plus other structural features like line length and rhyme scheme

Antonyms
  • prose

    written language without metrical structure

Grammar Patterns

the metre of + [text]

[adjective] + metre

in + [adjective] + metre

Usage Note

Frequently used with adjectives that name a specific pattern (iambic metre, trochaic metre). When referring to the concept in general, metre is uncountable ('this poem lacks metre'). A particular instance is countable ('Latin poets used several metres').

Common Mistakes

The poet wrote in a strict meter.
The poet wrote in a strict metre.
In British English, the poetic sense is always spelled 'metre', not 'meter'.
Rhyme and meter are both important.
Rhyme and metre are both important.
Same spelling rule applies.

3. the way beats are grouped into regular units called bars within a musical work,

3.nounB2
Definition

the way beats are grouped into regular units called bars within a musical work, usually shown by a time signature at the start of each bar.

Example

The conductor explained how the metre changes from 4/4 time to 3/4 time.

metre changes from [time signature] to [time signature]

Jin tapped his foot to keep the metre while practising the piano piece.

keep the metre

Common collocations
  • duple metre
  • triple metre
  • quadruple metre
  • 4/4 metre
  • change metre
  • keep the metre
  • follow the metre
Synonyms
  • time

    interchangeable in music (e.g. '3/4 time' = '3/4 metre'); time is more common in everyday music talk

  • beat

    a single pulse; metre is the larger organising structure that groups beats

  • rhythm

    broader term that includes metre but also note lengths and accent patterns

Grammar Patterns

[time signature] + metre

in + [time signature] + metre

the metre of + [piece]

Usage Note

Musical metre is usually described by its time signature (2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8). Duple metre has two beats per bar, triple metre has three, and quadruple metre has four. The plural 'metres' can refer to different types of metre within a single composition.

Common Mistakes

This waltz has a 3/4 meter.
This waltz has a 3/4 metre.
British spelling 'metre' applies to the musical sense as well.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Metre, centimetre, and kilometre are all metric units of length. A metre is the base unit (roughly the height of a doorknob). A centimetre is one hundredth of a metre (about the width of a fingernail) — use it for small objects like a pen or a finger. A kilometre is 1,000 metres (about 0.6 miles) — use it for long distances between towns. Yard and foot belong to the imperial system: a yard is slightly shorter than a metre (0.91 m), while a foot is about 30 cm. The metre is the international standard and is used in science and most countries worldwide; centimetres and kilometres are simply its subdivisions or multiples for different scales.

centimetre ↗kilometre ↗yard ↗foot ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • square metre
  • cubic metre
  • per metre
  • metre by metre
  • metre of

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word metre entered English in the late 1700s from French mètre, which was coined from Greek metron (μέτρον) meaning 'a measure.' The length unit was adopted during the French Revolution as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole along the Paris meridian. The poetic and musical senses arrived in English much earlier (via Old French and Latin) from the same Greek root metron, reflecting the idea that poetry and music both have 'measured' patterns. The spelling 'metre' is the British preference, while American English uses 'meter' for all senses.