A centimeter (cm) is a small unit of length in the metric system, equal to one hundredth of a meter.

More concretely:

• 1 cm = 10 millimeters and 100 cm = 1 meter.

• 1 cm is about 0.39 inches, so it is a bit less than half an inch.

• Everyday examples: about the width of a staple, a shirt button, or roughly the thickness of a pinky finger.