tape measure
12
2.0
- noun
- /teɪp ˈmɛʒər/
- The contractor always carried a tape measure to guarantee precise measurements at the job site.
- Using a tape measure
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Watch on YouTubeI just simply fold over the tape measure and read what it says here.
- I just simply fold over the tape measure and read what it says here.
- And I have this tape measure has both inches and centimeters.
- I actually measured her feet with a tape measure and this was the size it told me to get.
- I think I found eight tape measures in the in the bottom of my car.
- Hi, I'm going to give you this tape measure.
- Give me back his tape measure in his keys, his drafting pencil in his order forms.
- All the bits for my drills go into that thing, or markers, pika markers or tape measures.
Examples
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I just hung a mirror by myself using a pencil and a tape measure and look how level that is.
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Okay, so first thing is to actually grab a tape measure, a pen and a piece of paper or a notebook.
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I think I found eight tape measures in the in the bottom of my car.
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We found the center simply by taking our tape measure and taking it all the way to the end point.
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Dad, get a tape measure.
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Go get that metal tape measure thing out of the garage.
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If I shop for furniture, it is always with a tape measure in hand.
Blog text (7) -
I put down the drill and picked up the tape measure again.
Blog text (13) -
Taking a clipboard and tape measure, she went out the back door.
Fiction book (1992) -
Molly sighed as she stepped over a tape measure two architects had stretched across the floor.
Fiction book (1998)
Synonyms
24
1.0
A flat stick with marks used to draw straight lines and measure length
16
1.0
A flexible strip marked with numbers to measure length
5
2.1
A long rod with marks for measuring length
4
3.2
A stick about one yard long used to measure length
3
1.3
A long flexible strip with numbers that measures length
1
1.8
A ruler exactly one yard long used to measure cloth and short distances
A long narrow strip with marks for measuring length
How Flexible
12
2.0
24
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning of 'tape measure' is directly and compositionally built from 'tape' (a marked strip) + 'measure' (related to measuring), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a measuring instrument made from a tape. This is a regular noun–noun compound following common compounding patterns (cross-linguistically frequent), making it transparent to B1 learners.
Etymology
Tape measure comes from the simple image of a long strip, a tape, used to measure things. Tailors wrapped cloth tapes around people and later builders pulled metal tapes out of a small case, so the name now means 'a tool for measuring length'.