measure

1 of 2

noun

mea·​sure ˈme-zhər  ˈmā- 

1

a(1)

: an adequate or due portion

all too few of the British actresses … have received their measure of remembrance

—Saturday Review

(2)

: a moderate degree

also : moderation, temperance

(3)

: a fixed or suitable limit : bounds

rich beyond measure

b

: the dimensions, capacity, or amount of something ascertained by measuring

took his measure for a coat

c

: an estimate of what is to be expected (as of a person or situation)

the measure of their tragedy is now beyond our imagination

—G. F. Kennan

d(1)

: a measured quantity

(2)

: amount, degree

giving children a greater measure of freedom

2

a

: an instrument (such as a yardstick) or utensil (such as a graduated cup) for measuring

b(1)

: a standard or unit of measurement see Weights and Measures Table

(2)

: a system of standard units of measure

metric measure

3

: the act or process of measuring

settled by a measure made by a surveyor

4

a(1)

: melody, tune

(2)

: dance

especially : a slow and stately dance

b

: rhythmic structure or movement : cadence: such as

(1)

: poetic rhythm measured by temporal (see temporal entry 1 sense 3) quantity or accent

specifically : meter

(2)

: musical time

c(1)

: a grouping of a specified number of musical beats located between two consecutive vertical lines on a staff

(2)

: a metrical unit : foot

5

: an exact divisor of a number

6 being the greatest common measure of 42 and 12

6

: a basis or standard of comparison

wealth is not a measure of happiness

7

: a step planned or taken as a means to an end

took strong measures against the rebels

specifically : a proposed legislative act

sponsored an anti-inflation measure in the senate

measure

2 of 2

verb

measured; measuring ˈme-zhə-riŋ 

ˈmā-;

ˈmezh-riŋ,

ˈmāzh-

transitive verb

1

a

: to choose or control with cautious restraint : regulate

measure his acts

b

: to regulate by a standard : govern

2

: to allot or apportion in measured amounts

measure out three cups

3

: to lay off by making measurements

4

: to ascertain the measurements of

5

: to estimate or appraise by a criterion

measures his skill against his rival

6

archaic : to travel over : traverse

7

: to serve as a means of measuring

a thermometer measures temperature

intransitive verb

1

: to take or make a measurement

2

: to have a specified measurement

measurer

ˈme-zhər-ər 

ˈmā-;

ˈmezh-rə-

ˈmāzh-

noun

Phrases

for good measure

: in addition to the minimum required : as an extra

added another illustration for good measure

Synonyms

Noun

• expedient
• means
• move
• shift
• step

Verb

• gauge
• gage
• scale
• span

Examples of measure in a Sentence

Noun

She felt equal measures of hope and fear.

Their actions were motivated in large measure by a desire for revenge.

An occasion like this calls for some measure of decorum.

The meter is a measure of length.

The dictionary includes a table of weights and measures.

The legislature has passed a measure aimed at protecting consumers.

The governor has proposed a number of cost-cutting measures.

They were forced to resort to desperate measures.

We need to take measures to protect ourselves.

Verb

using a ruler to measure a piece of paper

an instrument for measuring air pressure

mental abilities measured by IQ testing

He's being measured for a new suit.

His success cannot be measured solely on the basis of his popularity.

The cloth measures 3 meters.

The room measures 15 feet wide by 30 feet long.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Related: What the Covid-19 pandemic can teach us about drug patents The language about how the TRIPS agreement does not prevent member states from taking measures to protect public health is misleading. —Cynthia M. Ho, STAT, 28 Apr. 2024

Singer’s firm is known for stepping in to beaten-down stocks and then pushing companies to take measures ranging from share buybacks to outright sales of the business. —Crystal Tse, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2024

The plan also reduces homelessness spending, in large part because of the coming end of Proposition HHH, the 10-year housing bond measure. —Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024

Officers immediately began performing life-saving measures until paramedics arrived, according to police. —Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Apr. 2024

In addition, the U.S. has rehearsed offensive and defensive measures to ensure U.S. troops working at the pier and those on the floating platform several miles off shore are all protected. —Lolita C. Baldor, arkansasonline.com, 26 Apr. 2024

Kansas lawmakers who support Medicaid expansion on Friday failed in a last-ditch effort to pass the measure, setting the stage for Democrats to campaign on the issue this fall. —Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2024

Smart & Safe Florida, a political action committee that sponsored the measure, gathered over 1 million signatures to get the measure on the ballot. —Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2024

The measure passed along party lines, with Democratic commissioners in favor of net neutrality and Republicans opposed. —Emma Bowman, NPR, 26 Apr. 2024

Verb

My next company is going to develop a self-awareness scale that measures the tendency to engage in borderline irrationality, the inclination to behavior dysfunction. —Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Apr. 2024

The sector’s free cash flow is so strong that the group’s leverage ratio, which measures a company’s net debt relative to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, fell to 0.8 in 2023 from 2.4 in 2020, Stevenson said. —Tim Quinson, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2024

The linear density is calculated by measuring how heavy the material is (in grams) for a length of 9000 meters. —Scott Gilbertson Gear Team, WIRED, 28 Apr. 2024

Aiello and co begin with the idea that geolocated tweets offer a way to measure social ties in specific communities. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024

The way the board fell provides a clean and compelling way to measure Denver’s process. —Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2024

Those strips were measured and compared against the land with nitrogen applied. —Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2024

That was by far the biggest partisan disparity (24 points) ever measured by Marquette, which has asked the question 34 times from 2014 to 2024. —Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024

On that note, here’s what’s happening around the West: TOP STORIES Planet Earth has recorded 10 straight months of record global temperatures, with March 2024 beating March 2016 for the hottest March ever measured. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English mesure "act of measuring, instrument for measuring, standard unit of quantity, size, measurable amount, proper proportion, moderation, tempurance," borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Latin mensūra "act of measuring, dimension determined by measurement, amount, instrument for measuring," from mensus, past participle of mētior, mētīrī "to determine the extent of, mark off by measuring" + -ūra -ure; mētior verbal derivative of an Indo-European noun *meh₁-ti- "act of measuring" (whence Old English mǣth "measure, degree, efficacy," Greek mêtis "measure, skill, craft," Sanskrit māti- "measure, correct understanding"), nominal derivative of a verbal base *meh₁-, whence, as a reduplicated present, Sanskrit mímite "(s/he) measures, shares," Avestan framimaθā "(s/he) should arrange"

Note: The irregular past participle mensus, alongside a regular derivative mētītus only found in later classical texts, may have been formed by analogy with pensus, past participle of pendere "to weigh."

Verb

Middle English mesuren "to calculate the measurements of, determine the extent of by measuring, apportion, moderate, control, judge," borrowed from Anglo-French mesurer, going back to Late Latin mensūrāre "to calculate the measurements of," derivative of mensūra measure entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing measure

• beyond measure
• common measure
• counter-counter-measure
• cubic measure
• dry measure
• for good measure
• have/take/get someone's measure
• have/take/get the measure of (someone)
• in large measure
• in no small measure
• linear measure
• liquid measure
• made-to-measure
• measure off
• measure out
• measure up
• poulter's measure
• pre-measure
• square measure
• tape measure

Kids Definition

measure

1 of 2 noun

mea·​sure ˈmezh-ər  ˈmāzh- 

1

a

: an adequate, fixed, or suitable limit or amount

surprised beyond measure

b

: amount entry 2, extent, degree

gained a large measure of freedom

2

a

: the size, capacity, or quantity of something as fixed by measuring

use equal measures of ingredients

b

: something (as a yardstick or cup) used in measuring

c

: a unit used in measuring

the foot is a measure of length

d

: a system of measuring

metric measure

3

: the act or process of measuring

4

a

: dance entry 2 sense 2

especially : a slow and stately dance

b

: rhythm or movement in music or poetry : meter, cadence

c

: the part of a musical staff between two bars or the group of beats between these bars

5

: an action planned or taken to achieve a desired result

especially : a legislative bill or act

measure

2 of 2 verb

measured; measuring ˈmezh-(ə-)riŋ 

ˈmāzh-

1

: to mark or fix in multiples of a specific unit

measure out two cups

2

: to find out the size, extent, or amount of

measure the piece of paper

3

: estimate entry 1 sense 1

measured the distance with my eye

4

: to bring into comparison

measure your skill against an opponent's

5

: to serve as a measure of

a thermometer measures temperature

6

: to have as its measurement

the room measures 12 by 12 feet

measurer

-ər-ər 

noun

Etymology

Noun

Middle English mesure "measure," from early French mesure (same meaning), from Latin mensura "measure," from mensus, past participle of metiri "to measure" — related to dimension, immense

Medical Definition

measure

1 of 2 noun

mea·​sure ˈmezh-ər  ˈmāzh- 

1

: an instrument or utensil for measuring

2

: a standard or unit of measurement

also : a system of such measures

metric measure

measure

2 of 2 verb

measured; measuring ˈmezh-(ə-)riŋ, ˈmāzh- 

transitive verb

1

: to allot or apportion in measured amounts

2

: to ascertain the measurements of

3

: to serve as a measure of

a thermometer measures temperature

intransitive verb

: to have a specified measurement