Dictionary Definition
measure
Noun
1 the act or process of measuring; "the
measurements were carefully done"; "his mental measurings proved
remarkably accurate" [syn: measurement, measuring, mensuration]
2 a basis for comparison; a reference point
against which other things can be evaluated; "they set the measure
for all subsequent work" [syn: standard, criterion, touchstone]
4 any maneuver made as part of progress toward a
goal; "the situation called for strong measures"; "the police took
steps to reduce crime" [syn: step]
5 a statute in draft before it becomes law; "they
held a public hearing on the bill" [syn: bill]
7 musical notation for a repeating pattern of
musical beats; "the orchestra omitted the last twelve bars of the
song" [syn: bar]
8 measuring instrument having a sequence of marks
at regular intervals; used as a reference in making measurements
[syn: measuring
stick, measuring
rod]
Verb
1 determine the measurements of something or
somebody, take measurements of; "Measure the length of the wall"
[syn: mensurate,
measure
out]
2 express as a number or measure or quantity;
"Can you quantify your results?" [syn: quantify]
3 have certain dimensions; "This table surfaces
measures 20inches by 36 inches"
4 place a value on; judge the worth of something;
"I will have the family jewels appraised by a professional" [syn:
evaluate, valuate, assess, appraise, value]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Pronunciation
- /'mεʒə/
- /"mEZ@/
- Rhymes with: -ɛʒə(r)
Noun
- The quantity, size, weight, distance or capacity of a substance compared to a designated standard.
- An (unspecified) quantity or capacity :
- a measure of salt
- The unwise man never knows the measure of his stomach. — from the Hávamál
- a measure of salt
- The precise designated distance between two objects or points.
- The act of measuring.
- A musical designation consisting of all notes and or rests delineated by two vertical bars; an equal and regular division of the whole of a composition.
- A rule, ruler or measuring stick.
- A tactic, strategy or piece of legislation.
- He took drastic measures to halt inflation.
- A function that assigns a non-negative number to a given set following the mathematical nature that is common among length, volume, probability and the like.
- An indicator;
Something used to assess
some property.
- The average price of basic household goods is a measure for
inflation.
- Honesty is the true measure of a man.
- The average price of basic household goods is a measure for
inflation.
Synonyms
- sense musical designation bar
Translations
quantity etc. compared to a standard
- Czech: míra
- Dutch: maat
- Finnish: mitta
- German: Maß
- Hebrew: ,
- Italian: misura
- Swedish: mått
unspecified quantity or capacity
- Dutch: maat, hoeveelheid
designated distance
- Dutch: afstand
act of measuring
- Dutch: meten
- Finnish: mittaaminen
- German: Messung
- Italian: misurazione, misura
- Kurdish:
- Swedish: mätning
musical designation
- Czech: takt
- Dutch: maat
- Finnish: tahti
- Swedish: takt
ruler
tactic or strategy
- Czech: opatření
- Dutch: maatregel
- German: Maßnahme
- Swedish: mått
special mathematical function
- Czech: míra
- Dutch: maat
- German: Maß
- Italian: misura , funzione di misura
- Swedish: mått
indicator
- Dutch: maat, maatstaf
- German: Maß
- Hebrew:
Verb
Derived terms
Translations
ascertain the quantity of a unit
- Aramaic: משח
- Crimean Tatar: ölşemek
- Czech: měřit
- Dutch: meten
- German: messen
- Italian: misurare
- Kurdish:
estimate the unit size
- Dutch: meten, schatten
- Finnish: mitata
- Italian: misurare
- Kurdish:
- Swedish: mäta
obtain or set apart
- Dutch: afmeten
- German: abmessen
- Swedish: mäta upp
Extensive Definition
Measure can mean:
- Measurement, the process of estimating the magnitude of some attribute of an object relative to some unit of measurement
- Measure (mathematics), a way to assign non-negative real numbers to subsets
- Measure (physics), a way to integrate over all possible histories of a system in quantum field theory
- Bar (music) or measure is a unit of time in Western music representing a regular grouping of beats
- Bill (proposed law) or proposed measure, or, in the Church of England, a law the equivalent of an Act passed by Parliament
- Countermeasure, is a system designed to prevent weapons from acquiring and/or destroying a target
- Coal measure is a seam of coal
- Measure (termination), a way to describe termination of processes, algorithms, or functions
- Measure (bartending) (also called a "jigger"), a bartending tool used to measure liquor
measure in German: Maß
measure in Spanish: Medida
measure in French: Mesure
measure in Italian: Misura
measure in Hebrew: מידה
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
A, Alexandrine, Spenserian
stanza, Stabreim,
a, accent, accent mark, accentuation, accommodate, accommodation,
accomplished fact, accomplishment, accord, achievement, acreage, act, acta, action, ad hoc measure, adapt, add, additionally, adjust, adjust to, adventure, air, algebraize, alliterative
meter, allocate,
allot, allotment, allowance, amount, amphibrach, amphimacer, amplitude, anacrusis, analogize, anapest, angstrom unit, answer, antispast, antistrophe, apportion, apportionment, appraisal, appraise, appraisement, appreciate, approach, approximation, area, aria, arsis, artifice, as a bonus, ascertain, assay, assess, assessment, assign, assimilate, assize, assizement, astronomical
unit, attain, attune, avenue, bacchius, badge, balance, banner, bar, barometer, barrel, bass passage, batch, be equal to, be up to,
beat, beauty, benchmark, besides, big end, bigger half,
bigness, bill, bit, bite, block, blow, body, book, bound, bourdon, breadth, bridge, bring into analogy, bring
into comparison, budget,
bulk, bunch, burden, bushel, bylaw, ca, cadence, cadency, caesura, calculate, calculation, caliber, calibrate, caliper, call, call off, call over, call the
roll, canon, canto, cantus, capacity, cast, catalexis, census, centare, centimeter, chain, character, characteristic, check, check a parameter, chloriamb, chloriambus, chorus, chunk, cipher, class, clutch, coda, colon, commission, compare, compare and contrast,
compare with, compass,
computation,
compute, concinnity, confront, constraint, content, contingent, continuum, contrast, contrivance, control, coordinate, cord, cordage, correction, count, countermove, counterpoint, counterpose, coup, couplet, course, course of action,
cover, coverage, cretic, criterion, cubic foot, cubic
meter, cubit, cup, custos, cut, cut the mustard, cut to,
dactyl, dactylic
hexameter, deal, deal out,
dealings, decaliter, decameter, decastere, deciliter, decimeter, decrease, decree, deed, degree, dekameter, delimit, delimitate, demarche, depth, descant, destiny, determination, determine, development, device, diaeresis, dial, diameter, diapason, dictate, dictation, differentia, dimension, dimensions, dimeter, dipody, direct, direction, dispense, disperse, distance, distich, distribute, divide, dividend, division, dkl, do, dochmiac, dodge, doing, doings, dole, dole out, dope out, dose, dot, draw a comparison, draw a
parallel, drop, dry pint,
earmark, edict, effort, elegiac, elegiac couplet,
elegiac pentameter, ell,
em, emphasis, emptiness, empty space,
en, enactment, end, endeavor, enlarge, enterprise, enumerate, envoi, epitrite, epode, equal, equal share, equalize, equilibrium, estimate, estimation, euphony, evaluate, evaluation, expanse, expansion, expedient, exploit, exposition, expression mark,
extension, extent, extract roots, extreme, fait accompli, fate, fathom, feat, feminine caesura, fermata, field, fifth, figure, figure in, figure out,
figure up, find out, finger, fit, fix, folderol, foliate, foot, footstep, force, forearming, forehandedness, foresight, foresightedness,
forethought,
forethoughtfulness,
form, form an estimate,
formality, formula, formulary, fur, furlong, furthermore, gage, galactic space, gallon, gauge, gauger, gauging, gear to, gest, gill, gimmick, girth, give an appreciation, give
out, go, go over, gob, grade, graduate, graduated scale,
greatness, group, guess, ha, half, hallmark, halver, hand, hand out, handiwork, harmonic close,
harmonize, harmony, heap, hectare, height, helping, heptameter, heptapody, heptastich, heroic couplet,
hexameter, hexapody, hexastich, hogshead, hold, homologate, homologize, hunk, iamb, iambic, iambic pentameter,
ictus, idiosyncrasy, image, improvisation, in
addition, inch, increase, index, indicant, indicator, infinite space,
infinity, insignia, institution, instrument, instrumentation,
insurance, interest, interlude, intermezzo, interstellar
space, interval, into
the bargain, introductory phrase, ionic, issue, jeroboam, jigger, jingle, job, judge, jury-rig, jury-rigged
expedient, jus, key
signature, key to, keynote, kiloliter, kilometer, large amount,
largeness, last
expedient, last resort, last shift, law, lay, lay off, lead, league, leap, legislation, length, lengthiness, level, lex, ligature, light-year, liken, liken to, lilt, limit, limitation, line, linear measures, link, litmus test, long time,
longitude, longness, lot, magnitude, magnum, make an estimation, make
plumb, make the grade, make uniform, makeshift, maneuver, mark, mark off, mark out, masculine
caesura, mass, match, matter, means, measure against, measure
out, measure up to, measuredness, measurement, measurer, measures, measuring, meed, meet, melodia, melodic line, melody, mensurate, mensuration, mess, metaphorize, mete, mete out, meter, method, metric system, metrical
accent, metrical foot, metrical group, metrical pattern, metrical
unit, metrics, metron, metronomic mark, micron, mil, mile, mileage, milliliter, minim, model, moderateness, moderation, modicum, moiety, molossus, monostich, mora, moreover, motif, motion, move, movement, multiply, musical phrase,
musical sentence, myriameter, nail, norm, notation, notch, note, nothingness, nuance, number, numbers, numerate, octastich, octave, octet, operation, oppose, order, orderedness, ordinance, ordonnance, ornament, ottava rima, outer
space, overall length, overpass, overt act, pace, pace off, pack, paeon, page, paginate, palm, parallel, parameter, parcel, parcel out, parsec, part, pas, pass out, pass over, pass
through, passage,
patrol, pattern, pause, peck, peculiarity, peg, pentameter, pentapody, pentastich, perambulate, percentage, perch, peregrinate, pererrate, performance, period, perpetuity, phrase, pica, picture, piece, pint, pis aller, pitch, place against, plan, plane, plateau, plumb, ply, point, pole, poll, pony, portion, poundage, precaution, precautions, precautiousness,
presa, prescript, prescription, preventive
measure, prize, probe, procedure, proceeding, proceleusmatic, process, production, project, property, proportion, proportions, proposal, proposition, prosodic
pattern, prosody,
protection, providence, provision, put in tune,
pyrrhic, quantification, quantify, quantitative meter,
quantity, quantization, quantize, quantum, quart, quatrain, quota, radius, rake-off, range, range over, rank, rate, rating, ratio, ration, reach, reading, readout, reckon, reconcile, reconnoiter, rectify, reduce, refrain, regulate, regulation, relate, remove, representation, representative, res
gestae, resolution,
resort, resource, response, restraint, rhyme, rhyme royal, rhythm, rhythmic pattern,
right, ritornello, rod, rood, room, round, rubric, rule, ruling, run a comparison, run
over, rung, safeguard, scale, scanning, scansion, scope, score, scour, scour the country, scout, seal, section, segment, segno, septet, sestet, set, set in contrast, set in
opposition, set off against, set over against, set right, sextet, shade, shadow, shake-up, share, share out, shift, sigil, sign, signal, signature, similarize, similize, size, size up, slice, slur, small amount, small share,
solo, solo part, solution, song, soprano part, sort, sound, space, span, spatial extension, sphere, spondee, spread, spread about, sprung
rhythm, square inch, stair, stake, stamp, standard, standing order,
stanza, statement, statute, stave, step, steps, steps and measures,
stint, stock, stopgap, stowage, strain, stratagem, strength, stress, stretch, stride, stroke, stroke of policy,
strophe, stunt, substance, subtract, sum, superficial extension, sure
sign, surface, survey, surveying, sweep, sweetness, swell, swing, syllabic meter, syllable, symbol, symmetry, symptom, sync, synchronize, system, syzygy, tablespoon, tactic, tactics, tailor, take a reading, take
account of, tally,
teaspoon, technique, telemetering, telemetry, tell, telltale sign, tempo mark,
temporary expedient, tercet, terza rima, test, tetrameter, tetrapody, tetraseme, tetrastich, theme, thesis, thing, thing done, tie, time, time signature, to boot,
tonnage, touchstone, tour de force,
township, track, tract, trait, transaction, transit, travel over, travel
through, traverse,
tread, treble, triangulate, triangulation, tribrach, trick, trim to, trimeter, triplet, tripody, triseme, tristich, trochee, true, true up, trump, tune, turn, tutti, tutti passage, type, undertaking, valuate, valuation, value, variation, vers libre,
verse, versification, view
together, vinculum,
void, volume, voyage, warble, wavelength, way, weigh, weigh against, weight, whole, width, work, work out, working hypothesis,
working proposition, works, yard, yardage, yardstick