measure
Americannoun
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measures
plural
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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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measures,
present (3rd person singular)
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measured,
past participle, past
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measuring
present participle
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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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measures,
present (3rd person singular)
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measured,
past participle, past
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measuring
present participle
-
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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Beowulf vocabulary
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Music - Introductory
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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:
Scientists cannot move planets around to perform controlled experiments, so they have to measure the gravitational attraction between much smaller objects that can be weighed and precisely positioned.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
The measure, Assembly Bill 1130, came in the wake of a controversy in the June primary election when social media influencers took on a more visible role in the campaigns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Flash U.K. purchasing managers’ index data for September, which measure activity in the manufacturing and services sectors, are due on Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Yet it is the measure of the noise around a club of United's size that is often feels that way.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
When they opened the double door to the building, the Geiger–Müller counter they were carrying to measure radiation maxed out and they had to abandon their task.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Elsewhere, new measures allowing police to order people to remove face coverings have been introduced in Nottingham and are due to be introduced in Stafford, as authorities look at different ways of tackling anti-social behaviour.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Newsom vetoed a separate bill, AB 2301, as he has done with similar measures three times since 2024.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Google said that it didn’t consider the behavior an example of model misalignment because its safety measures helped it stop.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Volcanic ash and wildfire smoke have different particle properties, travel through the atmosphere in different ways, and require different protective measures.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
“It wasn’t easy fetching the things for supper, what with my knees and swollen feet. I had to resort to drastic measures to keep the house fed.”
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
"All I can think about is now my opportunity to pick it up, and maybe add my style, which is looking at personality, a little bit more measured."
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
The form of serine, the condition being studied, and the outcome being measured all matter.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
The influential leaders of UCLA’s Academic Senate sent a more measured letter to Frenk about their “concerns and reservations,” urging administrators and faculty to work together to uphold academic freedom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Using measured local wind and ice conditions, along with just one additional parameter that had little effect on the overall outcome, the model successfully reproduced three observations that had previously been difficult to explain.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
Among the most interesting of all the artifacts that were recovered was a large set of sixty stone balance-pan weights used by merchants to balance their scales as they measured out the goods they sold.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
At times, this makes the humble viewer feel a bit like a guinea pig in a focus group; the audience’s reactions are integral to measuring the film’s success.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
Her opportunity eventually came in the form of a reddish-brown snake measuring 28 inches long that had been collected in the forests of New Guinea.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
The sixth possible approach listed by Laforge is analyzing the bitcoin adoption cycle, but he noted that this is not an exact science and should involve accessing multiple different measuring techniques.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
There’s no doubt that measuring mechanical functionality and discerning historical fidelity have become critical components of the conversation.
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026
Sara tilts her head toward Mrs. Kluck, who’s bustling around the display kitchen with a measuring tape, totally getting in Mrs. Hameed’s way.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
