tape

UK: /ˈteɪp/ US: /teɪp/ ,(tāp)

Inflections of 'tape' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

tapes

v 3rd person singular

taping

v pres p

taped

v past

taped

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

tape /teɪp/   n., v., taped, tap•ing, adj. 
n. 

1. [countable] a long, narrow strip of fabric for tying garments, joining seams or edges, etc.
2. Building material in the form of narrow strips, with a sticky, adhesive surface, used for sealing, etc.:
   [uncountable] a piece of adhesive tape.
3. • [uncountable] a long, narrow, magnetized strip of plastic able to record and play back sounds or images:
     The tape must have broken and ruined the VCR.
   • [countable] a length of this tape with recorded sounds or images;
     an audiotape, cassette tape, or videotape.
4. Sport [countable] a string stretched across the finish line of a race and broken by the winner on crossing the line.
5. Building tape measure.

v. [~ + object]

6. to tie up, bind, or attach with tape:
   to tape the bows to the packages.
7. Sound Reproduction to record on specially treated tape:
   to tape the concert.

adj. 

8. of, for, or recorded on magnetic tape.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

tape (tāp),  n., v., taped, tap•ing. 

n. 

1. a long, narrow strip of linen, cotton, or the like, used for tying garments, binding seams or carpets, etc.
2. a long, narrow strip of paper, metal, etc.
3. Building a strip of cloth, paper, or plastic with an adhesive surface, used for sealing, binding, or attaching items together;
   adhesive tape or masking tape.
4. Building See tape measure. 
5. a string stretched across the finishing line in a race and broken by the winning contestant on crossing the line.
6. Telecommunications See ticker tape. 
7. Sound Reproduction See magnetic tape. 
8. Sound Reproduction a magnetic tape carrying prerecorded sound:
   a tape of a rock concert.

v.t. 

9. to furnish with a tape or tapes.
10. to tie up, bind, or attach with tape.
11. Building to measure with or as if with a tape measure.
12. Sound Reproduction to record or prerecord on magnetic tape.

v.i. 

13. Sound Reproduction to record something on magnetic tape.

• bef. 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

tape′less, adj. 
tape′like′, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

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. 
   another word for stripe13
5. See magnetic tape, paper tape, ticker tape

verb (mainly tr)

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

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

ˈtapeˌlike adjective

ˈtaper noun