measure
Americannoun
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a unit or standard of measurement.
weights and measures.
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a system of measurement.
liquid measure.
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an instrument, as a graduated rod or a container of standard capacity, for measuring.
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the extent, dimensions, quantity, etc., of something, ascertained especially by comparison with a standard.
to take the measure of a thing.
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the act or process of ascertaining the extent, dimensions, or quantity of something; measurement.
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a definite or known quantity measured out.
to drink a measure of wine.
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any standard of comparison, estimation, or judgment.
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a quantity, degree, or proportion.
in large measure.
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a moderate amount.
to live with a measure of enjoyment.
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a limit, or an extent or degree not to be exceeded.
to know no measure.
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reasonable bounds or limits.
to know no measure.
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a legislative bill or enactment.
The senate passed the new measure.
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Usually measures. actions or procedures intended as a means to an end.
to take measures to avert suspicion.
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a short rhythmical movement or arrangement, as in poetry or music.
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a particular kind of such arrangement.
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a metrical unit.
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Music.
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the music contained between two bar lines; bar.
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an air or melody.
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a slow, dignified dance.
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Printing. the width, measured in ems or picas, to which a column or page of printed matter is set.
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Geology. measures, beds; strata.
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Mathematics. an abstraction of the property of length; a set function assigning to each set of a collection of sets a value, usually having the properties of sigma finiteness and finite additivity, the functional value of the whole collection being greater than zero.
verb (used with object)
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to ascertain the extent, dimensions, quantity, capacity, etc., of, especially by comparison with a standard.
to measure boundaries.
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to mark off or deal out by way of measurement (often followed by off orout ).
to measure out two cups of flour.
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to estimate the relative amount, value, etc., of, by comparison with some standard.
to measure the importance of an issue.
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to judge or appraise by comparison with something or someone else.
to measure Corneille against Racine.
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to serve as the measure of.
Her sacrifices measure the degree of her love.
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to adjust or proportion.
to measure a portion to one's liking.
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to bring into comparison or competition.
to measure one's strength with another's.
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to travel over; traverse.
to measure a room with great strides.
verb (used without object)
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to take measurements.
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to admit of measurement.
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to be of a specified measure.
verb phrase
idioms
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beyond measure, too much to be reckoned; immeasurably; extremely.
The suffering that they endured was beyond measure.
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in a / some measure, to some extent or degree.
His conclusion is justified in some measure.
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for good measure, as an extra.
In addition to dessert, they served chocolates for good measure.
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measure one's length, to fall or be knocked down; fall flat.
He missed a step in the dark and measured his length at the bottom.
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measure swords,
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to test one's preparedness for a contest or encounter.
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to battle with swords.
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to fight, compete, etc..
The producer of the poorly reviewed show decided to measure swords with the critics.
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have / take someone's measure, to judge or assess someone's character, capabilities, etc.; size up.
During their conversation she was taking his measure as a prospective employee.
noun
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the extent, quantity, amount, or degree of something, as determined by measurement or calculation
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a device for measuring distance, volume, etc, such as a graduated scale or container
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a system of measurement
give the size in metric measure
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a standard used in a system of measurements
the international prototype kilogram is the measure of mass in SI units
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a specific or standard amount of something
a measure of grain
short measure
full measure
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a basis or standard for comparison
his work was the measure of all subsequent attempts
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reasonable or permissible limit or bounds
we must keep it within measure
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degree or extent (often in phrases such as in some measure, in a measure, etc)
they gave him a measure of freedom
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(often plural) a particular action intended to achieve an effect
they took measures to prevent his leaving
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a legislative bill, act, or resolution
to bring in a measure
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music another word for bar 1
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prosody poetic rhythm or cadence; metre
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a metrical foot
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poetic a melody or tune
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the act of measuring; measurement
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archaic a dance
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printing the width of a page or column of type
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as an extra precaution or beyond requirements
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to assess the nature, character, quality, etc, of someone
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(of clothes) made to fit an individual purchaser
verb
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to determine the size, amount, etc, of by measurement
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(intr) to make a measurement or measurements
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(tr) to estimate or determine
I measured his strength to be greater than mine
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(tr) to function as a measurement of
the ohm measures electrical resistance
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(tr) to bring into competition or conflict
he measured his strength against that of his opponent
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(intr) to be as specified in extent, amount, etc
the room measures six feet
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(tr) to travel or move over as if measuring
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(tr) to adjust or choose
he measured his approach to suit the character of his client
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(intr) to allow or yield to measurement
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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measurernoun
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mismeasureverb
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intermeasureverb (used with object)
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outmeasureverb (used with object)
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premeasureverb (used with object)
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remeasureverb (used with object)
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undermeasureverb (used with object)
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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measuresimple
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measuressimple
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have measuredperfect
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has measuredperfect
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am measuringprogressive
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are measuringprogressive
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is measuringprogressive
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have been measuringperfect progressive
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has been measuringperfect progressive
Past
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measuredsimple
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had measuredperfect
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was measuringprogressive
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were measuringprogressive
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had been measuringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of measure
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English mesure, from Middle French, from Latin mēnsūra, equivalent to mēns(us), past participle of mētīrī “to measure, mete” + -ūra -ure
Explanation
To measure something is to figure out how much of it is there. A measure can also be a step toward a goal: take measures to ensure you don't flunk an exam by cracking the books. You can take measures to improve your health: limit sweets, get enough rest, get some exercise, and wash your hands to avoid the spread of germs. The noun also means a standard for comparison. You can measure your time against the good you will do if you volunteer to help out a child via a mentoring program.
Vocabulary lists containing measure
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Music - Introductory
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
See Examples For:
Senators voted 86-12 to begin consideration of the bipartisan measure, clearing its first procedural hurdle but leaving further debate and a final vote still to come.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
The suit claims the language used for the summary during the signature-gathering process — a required step to get the measure on the ballot — was “neutral” and named both of the measure’s chief purposes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
“He was a man who gave America the full measure of his good and mighty heart until that heart itself just gave out.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
There are two ways to measure the gravity of an offense.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
He handed Grace a tape measure, which she clipped to her jeans.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
If those measures remain contained, the Fed can hold rates steady and allow the initial price increase to pass through the data.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Earlier this year, the company rolled out a series of restructuring measures under the leadership of de Meo, the former auto-sector executive who took over as CEO of Kering in September 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
He credited making the runoff election to his years in the community advocating for anti-displacement measures for tenants and lowering the rent cap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
A year later those measures were quashed in a legal ruling.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Across the molecule, it measures twenty-three angstroms—one-thousandth of one-thousandth of a millimeter.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The researchers measured salivary pH rather than relying only on the acidity of the beverages themselves.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
Their practices showed that public safety cannot be measured only by who has legal authority to act in its name.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
The cost is measured in broken hearts, lost family history and a generation that may one day face the same rejection from their own children.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Additionally, momentum, as measured by the relative-strength index, has been declining, forming a series of lower lows and lower highs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Goron carefully measured him, the whole time pretending he was simply demonstrating the system.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
It was 100 degrees in Encino, but the reading from the wet-bulb device measuring heat and humidity gave out a number that allowed for practice to take place with precautionary measures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
An expanding universe makes measuring distance more complicated because space does not remain fixed while light travels through it.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
Courts can be constructed on hard and soft surfaces, from clay to grass, with dimensions measuring are 27-feet wide—or 36 feet for doubles—and 78-feet long.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The new way of measuring these prices would show an annual increase closer to 10% to 11%, but that’s also unusually high.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
In the painting he was standing next to a globe and holding an anemometer, a device for measuring wind speed.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
