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Glite Dictionary
to scotch tape

to scotch tape

1 3.1
To stick things or paper to a surface using clear sticky tape
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈskɑtʃ teɪp/
  • US
translation icon : pegar
  • She stuck the sign on the outside of the front door with scotch tape.
  • scotch tape it together

Examples

  • Put it in position and I put scotch tape.

    Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

  • I decided to try some scotch tape on the edges, and it made all the difference in the world.

    Blog text (12)

  • It was putting scotch tape and wire around things to make it work.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Undaunted, she scotch-taped extra sheaves of paper and widened her margins.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • She used scotch tape to attach the wrapping paper to the gift box.

  • I scotch taped the broken picture frame to keep it from falling apart.

  • After printing her document, she scotch taped the pages together so they wouldn't get mixed up.

Synonyms

to tape
vsto scotch tape
169 1.3

To attach things using a sticky strip

specifies clear adhesive material rather than other adhesive types
to stick on
vsto scotch tape
25 2.7

Put something on a surface so it stays in place

uses transparent adhesive material specifically, not just surface attachment
to affix
vsto scotch tape
18 5.0

To attach something to another thing by sticking or fastening it

focuses on using transparent adhesive rather than any attachment method
to paste up
vsto scotch tape
1 4.5

Attach posters or papers to a wall using glue

uses clear adhesive strips for fastening, not glue-based display
to sellotape
vsto scotch tape
  • UK
4.1

To attach things using clear sticky tape

is the same action but names transparent adhesive material generally

Antonyms

to detach
16 3.9

To take something off from what it is connected to

to unfasten
5 3.4

To open something by undoing a button or zipper

How Secure

to weld
  • Specialized
29 4.6
to staple
30 3.7
to glue
75 1.0
to scotch tape
  • US
1 3.1

Surface Forms

scotch tape infinitive

Morphology

scotch + tape

The action meaning is largely recoverable from 'tape' — a B1 learner who knows 'tape' can infer it involves fastening with adhesive tape. However, 'scotch' here is a brand name/opaque modifier (not a transparent lexical contributor), so the precise nuance ('with Scotch-brand transparent tape') is not predictable from its parts. Because the core action is derivable but the modifier is not, this is best classified as semi-transparent.

Etymology

Scotch tape comes from the brand name Scotch for the clear sticky tape that people used to fix things. People began using the brand name as a verb when they stuck something with that tape, so today scotch tape means 'to fasten or attach something using transparent adhesive tape'.