perimeter

P3E1R1I1M3E1T1E1R1
UK/pɪˈɹɪm.ɪ.tə/Canada, US/pəˈɹɪm.ɪ.təɹ/Canada, US[-ɾɚ]Australia/pəˈɹɪm.ɪ.tə/

noun

The sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object.

CommonScrabble 13

Meanings

nounperimeter (plural perimeters)

plural perimeters

  1. mathematicsThe sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object.
  2. mathematicsThe length of such a boundary.
  3. The outer limits of an area.
    2 more examples

    In 1977, Papa Wemba decided to change the name of his housing tract, in the outskirts of Kinshasa, to Village Molokai,² of which he declared himself traditional chief. Then, within this perimeter, he advocated a clothing style that featured, among its distinctions, a beret, and that went along with a way of walking, talking, and behaving toward others.

    2002, Frank Tenaille, translated by Steven Toussaint and Hope Sandrine, Music Is the Weapon of the Future: Fifty Years of African Popular Music, Chicago, IL: Lawrence Hill Books, →ISBN, page 182

    Assuming her daughter had gone inside to escape the rain, she asked the store clerk if Jo-Anne was waiting inside. The clerk answered that she was no longer there. Visibly panicked, both split up and began scouring the parking lot and the building’s perimeter. They checked behind the store, trash bins, and around the payphone booth, yelling Jo-Anne’s name into the rain.

    2026 July 25, Nicholas Muhoro, “The Last Call of Jo-Anne Pedersen, the Girl Who Vanished From a Payphone”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 26 Jul 2026

    Synonyms: circumference, premises

  4. A fortified strip or boundary usually protecting a military position.
  5. An instrument for determining the extent and shape of the field of vision.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe outer limits of an area.

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe boundary line or the area immediately inside the boundary

nounthe size of something as given by the distance around it

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekπερίμετρος
  2. Latinperimetros
  3. Englishperimeter

From Latin perimetros, Ancient Greek περίμετρος (perímetros). Equivalent to peri- + meter.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek περίμετρος
  • περίμετρος (perímetros)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
Arabic مُحِيط
  • مُحِيط (muḥīṭ)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
Bulgarian обико́лка, периме́тър
  • обико́лка (obikólka)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • периме́тър (perimétăr)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • въ́ншна гра́ница (vắnšna gránica)outer limits of an area
  • периме́тър (perimétăr)fortified strip or boundary usually protecting a military position
Catalan perímetre, perímetre
  • perímetresum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • perímetrelength of such a boundary
Chinese Mandarin 周邊 /周边, 周長 /周长
  • 周邊 /周边 (zhōubiān)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • 周長 /周长 (zhōucháng)length of such a boundary
Czech obvod
  • obvodsum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
Danish omkreds, perimeter
  • omkredssum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • perimeterouter limits of an area
  • omkredsouter limits of an area
  • perimeterfortified strip or boundary usually protecting a military position
  • omkredsfortified strip or boundary usually protecting a military position
Dutch omtrek, perimeter
  • omtreksum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • perimetersum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • omtreklength of such a boundary
  • perimeterlength of such a boundary
  • omgevinglength of such a boundary
Finnish kehä, ulkoreuna
  • kehäsum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • ulkoreunaouter limits of an area
  • reunaouter limits of an area
French périmètre, périmètre
  • périmètresum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • périmètrelength of such a boundary
German Umfang, Umfang
  • Umfangsum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • Umfanglength of such a boundary
  • Umfangouter limits of an area
Greek περίμετρος
  • περίμετρος (perímetros)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
Hebrew היקף, הֶקֵּף
  • היקףsum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • הֶקֵּף (hekéf)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
Hindi परिमाप, परिमाप
  • परिमाप (parimāp)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • परिमाप (parimāp)length of such a boundary
  • परिधि (paridhi)length of such a boundary
  • परिधि (paridhi)outer limits of an area
  • परिधि (paridhi)fortified strip or boundary usually protecting a military position
Hungarian kerület, kerület
  • kerületsum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • kerületlength of such a boundary
Icelandic ummál, jaðar
  • ummálsum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • jaðarouter limits of an area
Italian perimetro
  • perimetrosum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
Japanese 周囲, 周囲長
  • 周囲 (shūi)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • 周囲長 (shūichō)length of such a boundary
Korean 둘레, 주위
  • 둘레 (dulle)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • 주위 (juwi)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
Norwegian Bokmål omkrets
  • omkretssum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
Persian محیط
  • محیط (mohit)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
Polish obwód, obwód
  • obwódsum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • obwódlength of such a boundary
  • obrzeżeouter limits of an area
  • granicaouter limits of an area
  • perymetrfortified strip or boundary usually protecting a military position
Portuguese perímetro, perímetro
  • perímetrosum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • perímetrolength of such a boundary
  • perímetroouter limits of an area
  • perímetrofortified strip or boundary usually protecting a military position
Romanian perimetru
  • perimetrusum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
Russian пери́метр, пери́метр
  • пери́метр (perímetr)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • пери́метр (perímetr)length of such a boundary
Slovak obvod
  • obvodsum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
Spanish perímetro
  • perímetrosum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
Swedish omkrets
  • omkretssum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
Tagalog perimetro, perimetro
  • perimetrosum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • perimetrolength of such a boundary
  • perimetroouter limits of an area
Tamil சுற்றளவு, சுற்றளவு
  • சுற்றளவு (cuṟṟaḷavu)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
  • சுற்றளவு (cuṟṟaḷavu)length of such a boundary
  • சுற்றளவு (cuṟṟaḷavu)outer limits of an area
Ukrainian пери́метр
  • пери́метр (perýmetr)sum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object
Vietnamese chu vi
  • chu visum of the distance of all the lengths of the sides of an object

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

perimeter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perimeter

MLA

“perimeter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perimeter. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “perimeter,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perimeter.

Source: perimeter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.