measurement

American  

[mezh-er-muhnt] / ˈmɛʒ ər mənt /

noun

measurements plural

1. the act of measuring.

2. a measured dimension.

3. extent, size, etc., ascertained by measuring.

4. a system of measuring or measures.

   liquid measurement.

---

measurement British  

/ ˈmɛʒəmənt /

noun

1. the act or process of measuring

2. an amount, extent, or size determined by measuring

3. a system of measures based on a particular standard

---

measurement Scientific  

/ mĕzh′ər-mənt /

1. A method of determining quantity, capacity, or dimension. Several systems of measurement exist, each one comprising units whose amounts have been arbitrarily set and agreed upon by specific groups. While the United States Customary System remains the most commonly used system of measurement in the United States, the International System is accepted all over the world as the standard system for use in science.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mismeasurement
  noun
• premeasurement
  noun
• remeasurement
  noun
• self-measurement
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• measurements
  plural

Etymology

Origin of measurement

First recorded in 1745–55; measure + -ment

Explanation

Taking a measurement involves figuring out how long something is or what it weighs or how fast it is. Measurements usually require something like a ruler or a stop watch. When you step on the scale to check your weight, you're getting a measurement. When you pull out a ruler and measure a piece of paper, you're making a measurement. Astronomers make measurements of how far away other planets and stars are. In the Olympics, a timer does a measurement of who's fastest, to see who won a race. Anytime you're using a measuring device to come up with a number for something, you're taking a measurement.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

measurement measurements

Looking ahead, the researchers plan to experimentally demonstrate Hamiltonian based measurement processes for quantum feedback control using superconducting qubits.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026

It currently has a capacity of 1.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units—the standard unit of measurement for cargo capacity—and that is being expanded to 5.7 million TEUs by end-2028.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

This new record is described as "provisional" by the Met Office, which now has to conduct checks to ensure the measurement is reliable.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

AI service providers use tokens as a unit of measurement when they bill corporates for their products, and in recent weeks there have been signs of a growing discomfort among users at the high cost.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026

However, to make any sort of measurement, you need a standard, a common yardstick, to compare to the size of the lines.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

By April 19, the tilt sensor measurements were accelerating at a rate that made scientists determine a collapse was imminent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Their measurements revealed pairs of conducting edge states, a defining feature of topological crystalline insulators.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

The measurements showed that applying an electric field not only increased the speed of the phonons but also significantly extended how long they survived before scattering.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

"Compared to historical measurements, this was obviously very unusual," said Sonia Seneviratne, professor at the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

But there were no measurements for the thief of the Mona Lisa.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Related Words

• amount
• analysis
• appraisal
• assessment
• density
• dimension
• evaluation
• frequency
• height
• measure
• size
• survey
• weight