Meaning & use
tape measure
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A long, flexible strip of cloth, plastic or metal marked with units of length, used to find how long or wide something is.
Grammar: Usually takes an or the: grab a tape measure; plural is tape measures.
Patterns
- measure something with a tape measure
- a tape measure for something
I pulled out my tape measure to check whether the sofa would fit through the door.
The tailor wore a yellow tape measure around her neck all day.
Please bring a tape measure so we can size the windows for new curtains.
Word forms
| plural | tape measures |
|---|
Common combinations
- a retractable tape measure
- The retractable tape measure snapped back into its case.
- pull out a tape measure
- He pulled out a tape measure and marked the wall.
- a metal tape measure
- A metal tape measure stays stiff enough to use alone.
- a cloth tape measure
- She sews, so she keeps a cloth tape measure in her bag.
- read the tape measure
- Read the tape measure at eye level to avoid mistakes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- measuring tape
- It means almost exactly the same thing and is simply a slightly more descriptive way of saying it.
- ruler
- A ruler is a short, stiff bar, so it suits small desk jobs, while a tape measure copes with long or curved distances.
- yardstick
- A yardstick is a rigid stick one yard long, and the word is also used figuratively for a standard of comparison, which tape measure is not.
Word family
- measure verb
- to find the size or amount of something
- measurement noun
- a size or amount found by measuring
- measurable adjective
- able to be measured
Commonly confused: tape measure or ruler?
tape measure vs ruler
A ruler is rigid and usually 12 or 30 inches or centimeters long; a tape measure rolls up and is much longer.
Practice
Which tool would a tailor most likely use to find the length of a customer's arm?
Choose one answer.
A tape measure bends around the body and shows length. A spirit level checks whether a surface is flat, a protractor measures angles, and a stopwatch measures time.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tape measure”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.