tape

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a long thin piece of cloth or paper as used for binding or fastening

   I used a piece of tape for a belt.

2. 2
   noun

   a recording made on magnetic tape

   the several recordings were combined on a master tape

3. 3
   noun

   measuring instrument consisting of a narrow strip of cloth or metal marked in inches or centimeters and used for measuring lengths

   The carpenter should have used a tape measure.

4. 4
   noun

   the finishing line for a foot race

   The runner broke the tape in record time.

5. 5
   verb

   fasten or attach with tape

   tape the shipping label to the box

6. 6
   noun

   Flexible material in a roll with a sticky surface on one or both sides; adhesive tape.

   Hand me some tape. I need to fix a tear in this paper.

7. 7
   noun

   Thin and flat paper, plastic or similar flexible material, usually produced in the form of a roll.

   We made some decorative flowers out of the tape we bought.

8. 8
   noun

   Finishing tape, stretched across a track to mark the end of a race.

   Jones broke the tape in 47.77 seconds, a new world record.

Etymology

From Middle English tape, tappe, from Old English tæppa, tæppe (“ribbon, tape”); further origin unclear. Probably akin to Old Frisian tapia (“to pull, rip, tear”), Middle Low German tappen, tāpen (“to grab, pull, rip, tear, snatch”), Middle High German zāfen, zāven (“to pull, tear”).