measure

noun

mea·sure | \ˈme-zhər,

Definition of measure

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a(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

2a : 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

4a(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

for good measure

: in addition to the minimum required : as an extra added another illustration for good measure

measure

verb

measured; measuring\ ˈme-zhə-riŋ ,

ˈmā- ; ˈmezh-riŋ, ˈmāzh- \

Definition of measure (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

Other Words from measure Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about measure

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from measure

Verb

measurability \ ˌme-zhə-rə-ˈbi-lə-tē ,

ˌmā- ; ˌmezh-rə-, ˌmāzh- \ noun

measurable \ ˈme-zhə-rə-bəl ,

ˈmā- ; ˈmezh-rə-, ˈmāzh- \ adjective

measurably \ -blē

\ adverb

measurer \ -zhər-ər

\ noun

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

The six-year contract contains cumulative wage hikes of more than 17 percent, retroactive to 2015, along with new measures governing internal discipline and appeals and the creation of a multipronged system of civilian police oversight. — Steve Miletich, The Seattle Times, "Seattle City Council approves police-union contract; deal faces scrutiny by federal judge overseeing reforms," 13 Nov. 2018 Unsurprisingly, all three of Amazon’s headquarter cities are much more expensive than the U.S. average by most measures. — Rani Molla, Recode, "How Amazon’s proposed HQ2 and HQ3 locations compare with Seattle and the U.S. overall," 6 Nov. 2018 Uganda, Tanzania, and Vietnam have all consulted with China on cybersecurity measures. — Shannon Liao, The Verge, "China is making the internet less free, and US tech companies are helping," 2 Nov. 2018 The sui generis magic of Riccardo Barthel is a mélange of made-to-measure resourcefulness, expert editing, and superb styling. — Maria Shollenbarger, ELLE Decor, "An Italian Design Firm Transforms Discreet-but-Luxe Kitchens with a Timeless Florentine Aesthetic," 18 Oct. 2018 While there aren’t any specific benchmarks in terms of new construction or other measures such as reducing carbon emissions, the idea is to create a dialogue around better building and planning practices, according to Budi. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Olympics try more city-friendly bid process: Will it work?," 8 Oct. 2018 Nearly all of them lowered their blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and other health measures. — Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, "Not So Fast," 24 Sep. 2018 Leave fads alone Desperate times don’t call for desperate measures. — Janell Hickman, Allure, "How to Regrow Your Hairline When Your Edges Are Literally Snatched," 8 Aug. 2018 China also remains somewhat reliant on big-budget U.S. films to keep its cinemas filled year-round, a form of mutual interdependence that should supply some measure of insulation — at least for now. — Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, "Will Hollywood Get Caught in Trump's China Trade War Crossfire?," 13 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

For one, scientists had to be able to measure the Planck constant to an extremely precise degree. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "The world is about to redefine the kilogram," 15 Nov. 2018 Whether this app is truly healthy screen time is impossible to measure. — Lizzie Garrett Mettler, Vogue, "With Wonderscope, a Tech Company Attempts the Unthinkable: Healthy Screen Time for Kids," 14 Nov. 2018 Twenty years later, Michelson became the first American scientist to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, for developing instruments used to accurately measure the speed of light. — Meg Neal, Popular Mechanics, "The Eternal Quest for Aether, the Cosmic Stuff That Never Was," 19 Oct. 2018 Christy combed through the observatory's image archives to measure the angle where the elongation appeared. — Nola Taylor Redd, Space.com, "Celebrating 40 Years of Pluto's Largest Moon, Charon," 14 July 2018 Puzzling over those data, researchers in Israel turned the mind-body question into an easier-to-measure physiological one: Would activation of the reward circuit have any effect on the immune system? — Esther Landhuis, Scientific American, "Could Brain Stimulation Slow Cancer?," 13 July 2018 Even so, a similar pattern emerges from the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index, which compares sales prices of similar homes and seeks to measure changes in the total value of all existing single-family housing stock. — Brooks Jackson, Philly.com, "Trump's Numbers (Second Quarterly Update) | FactCheck," 11 July 2018 Fair or unfair, All-Star appearances are one way to measure greatness, and fan voting already slights worthy small-market players. — Tom Verducci, SI.com, "Nine Innings: How Bryce Harper Is Trying to Revive His Season, What We Learned in the First Half and More," 9 July 2018 The lack of performance data greatly restricts the ability to measure the effectiveness of Milwaukee's districts, that study said. — Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Campaign to terminate Milwaukee Bay View Business Improvement District apparently succeeds," 6 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'measure.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for measure

Noun

Middle English mesure, from Anglo-French, from Latin mensura, from mensus, past participle of metiri to measure; akin to Old English mǣth measure, Greek metron

Verb

see measure entry 1

Keep scrolling for more