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kilometer

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The definition of a kilometer is a unit of measurement equal to 1,000 meters or .6214 miles.

(noun)

An example of a kilometer is how far a person will run if she wants to run for just over 1/2 of a mile.

See kilometer in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

one thousand meters (3,280.84 feet or 0.6214 miles): abbrev. km

Brit.kilometre

Origin: Fr kilomètre: see kilo- & meter

Related Forms:

kilometric adjective

See kilometer in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun Abbr. km

A metric unit of length equal to 1,000 meters (0.62 mile). See Table at measurement.

Related Forms:

kilˌo·metˈric (kĭlˈə-mĕtˈrĭk) adjective

Usage Note: Although the pronunciation of kilometer with stress on the second syllable, (kĭ-lŏmˈĭ-tər), is often censured because it does not conform to the stress pattern in millimeter and centimeter (it originally came about by false analogy with barometer and thermometer), it continues to thrive in American English. In a recent survey, 69 percent of the Usage Panel preferred this pronunciation, while 29 percent preferred the pronunciation (kĭlˈə-mēˌtər).

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