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Synonyms

tape drive

American  

noun

Computers.

  1. a program-controlled device that reads data from or writes data on a magnetic tape which moves past a read-write head.

tape drive British  

noun

  1. computing a device for reading from or writing to magnetic tape

"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 drive

First recorded in 1950–55

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.

It packs into one handy 4-lb. package a full-size keyboard, a screen that displays four lines of text, a cash-register-type printer, a microcassette tape drive and more built-in memory than any comparably priced machine.

From Time Magazine Archive

A shoebox sat beside the tape drive, filled with dozens of these cassettes.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

This means that tar can take many files and combine them all into one large file or write them out to a backup device such as a tape drive.

From Debian GNU/Linux : Guide to Installation and Usage by Goerzen, John

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.