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.

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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

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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.

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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

This is assuredly a consequence of bad luck rather than a measurement of merit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Previous research in this area has used a measurement called wet-bulb temperature, which incorporates humidity to estimate how much heat a human body can withstand.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

And according to lead author Jordan Etkin, “The very people who self-select into measurement are the ones who are hurt by it.”

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

The first measurement is subtracted from the second.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

When Bertillon knelt down to lift a print off the frame of the Mona Lisa, his measurement method was being used across the world.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Instead, the measurements fell almost exactly in the region where Newton's theory and Einstein's theory agree.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

Until now, extending this approach into three dimensions required lengthy measurements at major synchrotron research facilities.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

Many of the zoo's animals are trained to perch on a scale while zookeepers note down their measurements, but others will need to be tempted with a strategic snack.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Much of the previous work has relied on snapshots taken at a single point in time, focused mainly on school-age children, or lacked repeated measurements throughout early childhood.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

His insistence on being more precise than Archimedes goes back into his youth, when he had devised an instrument, the balincetta, which would make more exact measurements of specific gravities than any made before.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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