diameter
noun
di·am·e·ter
| \ dī-ˈa-mə-tər
\
\
Definition of diameter
2
mathematics
: the length of a straight line through the center of an object or space
the diameter of a circle dug a hole nearly four feet in diameter
3
physics
: a unit of enlargement used with a number to indicate magnification by a lens or optical system
an object one millimeter wide magnified 40 diameters appears 40 millimeters wide
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Other Words from diameter
diametral
\ dī-ˈa-mə-trəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of diameter in a Sentence
The dotted line indicates the diameter of the circle.
What is the diameter of the tree trunk?
Dig a hole that's two feet deep and three feet in diameter.
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Recent Examples on the Web
The organoids grow in diameter to about 2/10ths of an inch, or half a centimeter, Muotri said, and live for about two years. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Human mini-brains made from stem cells make mini brain waves," 30 Aug. 2019 Europa, which was discovered by Galileo in 1610, is about 1,940 miles in diameter — or roughly 90 percent of the size of Earth's natural satellite. — David Freeman, NBC News, "Is Jupiter's moon Europa habitable? NASA advances plan to find out.," 21 Aug. 2019 Also in Popeyes’ favor, the two pickle slices are larger in diameter than the two slices on a Chick-fil-A, so more bites include that crucial pickle zing. — Matt Wake | [email protected], al, "Chick-fil-A vs. Popeyes: The sandwich showdown," 21 Aug. 2019 About 31 miles in diameter, Gran Canaria has a population of 850,000. — Barry Hatton, chicagotribune.com, "More than 9,000 people flee ‘monster’ wildfire in Spain’s Canary Islands," 19 Aug. 2019 The brittle fitting, an inch and a quarter in diameter, had been mistakenly installed during a previous repair. — Author: Richard Read, Anchorage Daily News, "Meet the icebreaker Polar Star, the neglected stepchild of the U.S. military industrial complex," 17 Aug. 2019 The report notes that in 2008, there were no turbines installed in the US with rotors above 100 meters in diameter. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Wind power prices now lower than the cost of natural gas," 17 Aug. 2019 The brittle fitting, an inch and a quarter in diameter, had been mistakenly installed during a previous repair. — Los Angeles Times, "Meet the neglected 43-year-old stepchild of the U.S. military-industrial complex," 2 Aug. 2019 Four sky-blue balls, each eight to nine feet in diameter, appear to be rolling down the sloping hill. — Joan Morris, The Mercury News, "12 coolest Bay Area things you didn’t know you could do," 29 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'diameter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for diameter
diameter
noun
English Language Learners Definition of diameter
: a straight line from one side of something (such as a circle) to the other side that passes through the center point
: the distance through the center of something from one side to the other
See the full definition for diameter in the English Language Learners Dictionary
diameter
noun
di·am·e·ter
| \ dī-ˈa-mə-tər
\
\
Kids Definition of diameter
1
: a straight line that runs from one side of a figure and passes through the center
Measure the diameter of the circle.
2
: the distance through the center of an object from one side to the other : thickness
the diameter of a tree trunk
diameter
noun
di·am·e·ter
| \ dī-ˈam-ət-ər
\
\
Medical Definition of diameter
1
: a unit of magnification for an optical instrument equal to the number of times the linear dimensions of an object are apparently increased
a microscope magnifying 60 diameters
2
: one of the maximal breadths of a part of the body
the transverse diameter of the inlet of the pelvis
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