tape measure

[ teyp-mezh-er ]
See synonyms for tape measure on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Also called tape·line [teyp-lahyn] /ˈteɪpˌlaɪn/ . a long, flexible strip or ribbon, as of cloth or metal, marked with subdivisions of the foot or meter and used for measuring.

adjective
  1. Also tape-meas·ure. Baseball. (of a hit) having traveled so remarkably far that the distance, usually only estimated, is worth noting: This kid’s got so much power, even his foul balls are tape-measure shots.

Origin of tape measure

1
First recorded in 1835–45 for def. 1, and in 1950–55 for def. 2

Words Nearby tape measure

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tape measure in a sentence

  • In the moral world—so far as it is a world of great achievement—the tape-measure is out of place.

    Impressions And Comments | Havelock Ellis
  • A tape measure furnished certain distances which were recorded upon the back of an envelope.

    Whispering Wires | Henry Leverage
  • In the computation of avoirdupois and of the tape-measure, this was the greatest figure that ever travelled the Great North Road.

  • We have been putting our tape-measure about it, and find it forty-three inches in girth; and for shapely beauty it has no equal.

    Palmetto-Leaves | Harriet Beecher Stowe
  • Already he had out his tape-measure and sketch-book, making observations and recording measurements.

British Dictionary definitions for tape measure

tape measure

noun
  1. a tape or length of metal marked off in inches, centimetres, etc, used principally for measuring and fitting garments: Also called (esp US): tapeline

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012