Synonyms

tape deck

American

noun

a component of an audio system for playing tapes, using an external amplifier and speakers.

tape deck British

noun

a tape recording unit in a hi-fi system
the platform supporting the spools, cassettes, or cartridges of a tape recorder, incorporating the motor or motors that drive them and the playback, recording, and erasing heads

"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

Etymology

Origin of tape deck

First recorded in 1955–60

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.

Before that, he put a tape deck on a rolling cart.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2025

By the end of the episode, Big has resolved a case of mysterious copper figurines and Cheese has improbably fixed the cruiser's tape deck.

From Salon • Aug. 3, 2022

My laptop was almost dead, and in the night I’d have just enough voltage for light, and maybe a few songs on my old tape deck that I bought the year Ronald Reagan was elected.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 19, 2022

But my brother Andrew, who is about six years older than me, used to have a souped-up Ford Capri with a tape deck.

From BBC • Oct. 12, 2021

The two spindles in the tape deck, hidden behind a smoky plastic window, pull the tape from one side to the other.

From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher

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