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cassette deck

cassette deck

1 4.6
A device that plays and records sound on cassette tapes
  • noun
  • /kəˈsɛt dɛk/
  • Archaic
translation icon : reproductor de casetes
  • stereo cassette deck
  • car cassette deck

Examples

  • Andrew, I need a cassette deck right now.

  • This is the living room with a groovy new, uh... cassette deck.

  • If any of you wanna bring me a present... ...a cassette deck wouldn't be bad.

  • Remember that stereo you told me not to buy cos who needs a dual cassette deck?

  • Sarah's voice speaks from a cassette deck.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • He jumps, startled, and sees Starling sitting in a corner, in the shadows, next to the cassette deck.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • I snap a Carly Simon tape into the cassette deck, lean my cheek against the cool dark leather as the car fills with the opening drumbeats of "You're So Vain."

    Fiction book (1999)
  • He connected his cassette deck to the speakers to play his favorite music.

  • She found an old cassette deck in the attic that still works perfectly.

  • The cassette deck recorded the concert live so they could listen to it later.

Synonyms

tape recorder
vscassette deck
  • Archaic
69 2.4

A machine that records and plays sound on tape

focuses specifically on machines for the single cassette format
tape deck
vscassette deck
  • Archaic
8 4.7

A machine that plays or records sound on cassette tapes

is used more as a standalone cassette machine rather than a component
tape player
vscassette deck
  • Archaic
7 2.0

A machine that uses cassette tapes to let you hear recorded music

includes recording function and focuses on one common consumer format
cassette player
vscassette deck
  • Archaic
5 2.7

A small machine that plays music from cassette tapes, often with speakers or a headphone jack

adds recording ability rather than being only for playback
tape machine
vscassette deck
  • Archaic
4 3.2

A device that records or plays sound on magnetic tape

is narrower, referring to consumer cassette-format machines rather than all tape devices
cassette recorder
vscassette deck
  • Archaic
3 2.7

A small machine that records and plays sound on cassette tapes

has identical meaning but is a different term form
wire recorder
vscassette deck
  • Archaic
1 9.8

An old machine that saves sound on thin metal wire and plays it back

uses magnetic tape technology rather than steel wire

How Portable

player
  • Specialized
220 1.6
cassette recorder
  • Archaic
3 2.7
boombox
  • Archaic
4 3.5
cassette deck
  • Archaic
1 4.6
tape machine
  • Archaic
4 3.2

Surface Forms

cassette deck singular

Morphology

cassette + deck

The meaning is directly compositional: 'cassette' specifies the medium (audio tape) and 'deck' denotes a unit or device, so together they denote the machine used to play or record cassettes. This noun+noun pattern is a regular, cross-linguistically common compounding process, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Cassette deck comes from two parts: the cassette, a small plastic box that holds tape, and the deck, the flat unit where you put the cassette to play or record. So the name simply means the machine that holds a cassette and 'plays and records sound'.