noun
meter
MEE-tuh
noun
1
A device that measures the amount of something, such as electricity, gas, or water used.
"The engineer came to read the electricity meter."
"She fed coins into the parking meter before running into the shop."
verb
1
To measure or control the amount of something using such a device.
"The pump meters out exactly one litre at a time."
How to Use Meter
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA gadget that measures how much of something (gas, electricity, water, parking time) is being used.
UK vs US
In American English, meter is also the standard spelling for the unit of length; British English uses metre for the unit and meter only for the measuring device.
Common pairings
gas meter
parking meter
meter reading
Word Forms
metered past tense, meters plural, meters singular
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The engineer came to read the electricity _____.
Etymology
From Middle English metere ("one who measures"), related to the verb mete ("to measure"); later applied to measuring devices, likely influenced by words like barometer and thermometer.