as in videotapes
a recording (as of a movie) for playback on a TV
the rival campaign leaked a tape of the senator angrily reprimanding a little boy for stepping on his foot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tapes
Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Surviving the advent of television and home movie-viewing via VHS tapes, DVDs and streaming, the Grand Lake continues to operate as a place where people can come together to watch movies on a big screen — as movies were made to be watched.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
Whatever the reason, the ’90s are back, aided by more objective prestige than the days of VHS tapes and disposable cameras might initially conjure.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 3 Mar. 2026
Luhrmann spent two years hunting the audio tapes — even buying bootleg recordings — and syncing them with the film footage.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
No one had written them down, and the band had to listen to the few tapes that existed and try to decipher his words.
—Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 28 Feb. 2026
Whatever the reason, the ’90s are back, aided by more objective prestige than the days of VHS tapes and disposable cameras might initially conjure.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026
And the guy who made the 16-track tapes gave them to me.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2026
Jones also played two tapes in which Karen can be heard screaming and cursing at her daughter.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
Noun
Scouts used to have to watch film of a player while at his school, and then put together their own VHS tapes for their general managers, using footage borrowed from the colleges.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Surviving the advent of television and home movie-viewing via VHS tapes, DVDs and streaming, the Grand Lake continues to operate as a place where people can come together to watch movies on a big screen — as movies were made to be watched.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
Whatever the reason, the ’90s are back, aided by more objective prestige than the days of VHS tapes and disposable cameras might initially conjure.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 3 Mar. 2026
Luhrmann spent two years hunting the audio tapes — even buying bootleg recordings — and syncing them with the film footage.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
No one had written them down, and the band had to listen to the few tapes that existed and try to decipher his words.
—Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 28 Feb. 2026
Whatever the reason, the ’90s are back, aided by more objective prestige than the days of VHS tapes and disposable cameras might initially conjure.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026
And the guy who made the 16-track tapes gave them to me.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2026
Jones also played two tapes in which Karen can be heard screaming and cursing at her daughter.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tapes
Noun
-
Within weeks, sales of videotapes, CDs, and audio cassettes of her performance raised more than $500,000 for the American Red Cross Gulf Crisis Fund.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Living among vinyl records, books and videotapes – relics of a life once fully lived — Al finds his fragile balance shattered when a real estate company targets his home for demolition, forcing him to confront both material and emotional dispossession.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
As the fires burned after El Mencho was killed, videos from Etzatlán circulated widely on TikTok and Instagram.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
From videos showing concert footage of Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson to a live band playing renditions of songs by the Beastie Boys and Marvin Gaye, Friday’s meeting served as a send-off for both the arena and Visit Fort Worth’s outgoing CEO Bob Jameson.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
To address this, Ivo uses a multi-step pipeline that chains together more than 400 model calls for each contract review.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Tokyo Central is owned by Japanese company Pan Pacific Retail Management, which also runs the grocery chains Gelson’s and Don Quijote.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
3 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tapes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tapes. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
