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:
Starting at 6:30 a.m., she will take a barrage of tests: She’ll spit in a tube, check her temperature and measure her heart-rate variability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
The clearest evidence is in a separate measure of the CPI known as the core rate, which omits food and energy prices.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Their findings, published in Physical Review Letters and selected as an Editor's Suggestion, introduce an entropy measure that is more closely connected to a black hole's spin and energy.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
Under The Progression Model, a new measure introduced in the act, those serving standard determinate sentences with an automatic release point of two thirds will now have an earliest possible release date of one half.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Over and over, my compass guiding, I measure the land.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
The reform package continues to cap reimbursement growth for hospitals and includes relief measures such as greater staffing flexibility, reduced regulatory requirements, and more sector funding, the bank says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Ashtekar and his colleagues have now proposed a new method for determining a black hole's entropy, a quantity that measures disorder and, according to the second law of thermodynamics, can never decrease.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
Several other measures cited alongside the policing package had also been previously announced, including £7m to tackle antisemitism in schools and universities, and the expansion of community cohesion programmes.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Initial measures imposed time limits and curfews on online gaming, before similar restrictions were extended in 2023 to social media and streaming platforms.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
He inspects my stump, prods it, measures it, then says, “Outstanding!”
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
Similarly, some economists emphasize that the steep tariff hikes have had only a small measured impact on overall U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Sports are ideal for new video and communication technologies, as athletic performance is measured by statistics, and that data can be tabulated, synthesized and repurposed for viewers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
However, the research included only 76 people and measured them at a single point in time.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
Thirty-year-old Bardella has had a dizzying career up the RN ranks, but he was always measured about his prospects of becoming president.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Progress is not linear or incremental, and it is often difficult to reach agreement on the standard by which it should be measured.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The film’s brilliance comes from Wain and Marino knowing how to pummel the viewer with jokes while measuring each punchline’s individual weight.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Kohli-Lynch said one reason is that measuring apoB generally requires an additional blood test beyond the standard cholesterol panel, increasing both cost and inconvenience.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
All around this one personal tragedy are the sights and smells of many others from that moment Wednesday evening when the earth abruptly groaned and rumbled with quakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5, in rapid succession.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
The diffusion index measuring sentiment among large manufacturers is expected to edge down to plus 16 from plus 17 in the March survey, according to a Quick poll of economists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Fred sat down beside me on the rock, holding a measuring tape from his mom’s sewing kit.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
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.
