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duct tape

American  
[duhk, duhkt] / dʌk, dʌkt /

noun

  1. a strongly adhesive silver-gray cloth tape, used in plumbing, household repairs, etc.

duct tape British  

noun

  1. a type of strong waterproof adhesive silver-coloured cloth tape used for repairs by plumbers, electricians, etc

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He covered a doorbell camera at his home with duct tape at about 07:35 on the day of the shooting.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

“It was held together with some duct tape and hair pins,” said Andrew Smith, a Utah-based investor whose Savory Fund invests in food and beverage companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

The duct-tape solution assumes you have duct tape — but the West’s is now in China because it was cheaper.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 3, 2026

We’re hurtling toward a future with more than 50 state systems patched together with duct tape and wishful thinking.

From Slate • Jul. 4, 2025

Forget all of it, because that summer was nothing but duct tape and two-by-fours.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.