tape

[ teyp ]

noun

1. a strip of cloth, paper, or plastic with an adhesive surface, used for sealing, binding, or attaching items together; adhesive tape or masking tape.
2. a long, narrow strip of fabric used for tying garments, binding seams or carpets, etc.
3. a long, narrow strip of paper, metal, etc.
4. tape measure.
5. magnetic tape.
6. a magnetic tape carrying recorded sound or images:

   I made a digital copy of that tape of Grandpa playing the violin.

7. a string stretched across the finishing line in a race and broken by the winning contestant on crossing the line.
8. ticker tape.

verb (used with object)

, taped, tap·ing.

1. to furnish with a tape or tapes.
2. to tie up, bind, or attach with tape.
3. to measure with or as if with a tape measure.
4. to record or prerecord on magnetic tape.

verb (used without object)

, taped, tap·ing.

1. to record something on magnetic tape.

tape

/ teɪp /

noun

1. a long thin strip, made of cotton, linen, etc, used for binding, fastening, etc
2. any long narrow strip of cellulose, paper, metal, etc, having similar uses
3. a string stretched across the track at the end of a race course
4. slang.
   military another word for stripe 1
5. See magnetic tape ticker tape paper tape tape recording

verb

1. Alsotape-record also intr to record (speech, music, etc)
2. to furnish with tapes
3. to bind, measure, secure, or wrap with tape
4. informal.
   usually passive to take stock of (a person or situation); sum up

   he's got the job taped

Derived Forms

• ˈtaper, noun
• ˈtapeˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• tapeless adjective
• tapelike adjective
• pre·tape verb (used with object) pretaped pretaping
• re·tape verb (used with object) retaped retaping
• un·taped adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tape¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; unexplained variant of tappe, Old English tæppe “strip (of cloth),” literally, “part torn off”; akin to Middle Low German teppen “to tear, pluck”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tape¹

Old English tæppe; related to Old Frisian tapia to pull, Middle Dutch tapen to tear

Idioms and Phrases

see red tape .

Example Sentences

Still, how much of a concern is a few days of a “bad look” in a post-“Access Hollywood” tape world?

From Salon

But the project was highly controversial and police in Northern Ireland later gained access to the tapes for use as evidence in ongoing murder inquiries.

From BBC

The taped banana - now perhaps one of the most expensive fruits ever sold - was actually bought earlier in the day for a mere $0.35, according to the New York Times.

From BBC

The actual Dole banana taped to the wall of Sotheby’s on Wednesday evening was bought earlier in the day from a nearby fruit stand on the Upper East Side of Manhattan for 35 cents.

From New York Times

When Stracke had a medical emergency during last season’s reunion, Beauvais left the taping to be with her friend at the hospital until she was discharged, six hours later, at midnight.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• line
• rope