INDEX:
1. to measure something
2. the number or amount that you get when you measure something
3. an amount or quantity used for measuring something
4. to be a particular size, length etc
5. able to be measured
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ COUNT/CALCULATE
↑ WEIGH
↑ DISTANCE
↑ AMOUNT
↑ LONG
↑ SHORT
↑ HEAVY
↑ LIGHT
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1. to measure something
▷ measure /ˈmeʒəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to find out the size or amount of something, by using a special tool, machine, or system :
▪ Can you measure the desk to see if it’ll fit into that corner?
▪ The GNP figures measure the rate of growth in the economy.
▪ Electrodes were attached to his chest in order to measure his heart rate.
measure something at something
▪ Seismologists in Japan measured the earthquake at 7.7 on the Richter scale.
▪ Some species of python have been measured at over 28 feet long.
▷ weigh /weɪ/ [transitive verb]
to find out how heavy something is by measuring its weight with special equipment :
▪ Weigh all the ingredients carefully before mixing them together.
weigh yourself
▪ Every time I weigh myself I seem to have got heavier!
▷ time /taɪm/ [transitive verb]
to measure how long it takes for someone to do something or for something to happen :
▪ We timed how long it took us to get there.
▪ The swimming teacher always times us over 100 metres.
be timed at 20 miles per hour/3 minutes etc
▪ The fastest big cat, the cheetah, has been timed at over 60 mph.
▷ take /teɪk/ [transitive verb]
to measure how hot someone is, how fast their heart is beating etc, as part of a medical examination :
take somebody’s pulse/temperature/blood pressure
▪ My mother took my temperature and sent me back to bed.
▪ The doctor will take your blood pressure and check your weight.
▷ read /riːd/ [transitive verb]
to look at the number or result that a piece of equipment is showing when you are using it to measure something :
▪ Someone came to read the electricity meter this morning.
▪ The nurse read the thermometer and told me that my temperature was normal.
▷ take a reading /ˌteɪk ə ˈriːdɪŋ/ [verb phrase]
use this when a number or result often changes :
▪ Scientists took readings over several weeks and found that there was no unusual volcanic activity.
▷ meter /ˈmiːtəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to measure how much of something such as gas, water, or electricity is used, so that the companies supplying the gas etc know how much their customers should pay :
▪ The gas is metered and they send you a bill every three months.
▪ They’ve introduced a system of metering the amount of water used in a household.
▷ gauge /geɪdʒ/ [transitive verb]
to guess or judge in advance how much something will measure, use, cost etc, according to all the things that affect it :
▪ Recent polls have gauged the president’s support at 85% or more.
gauge how many/how much etc
▪ When all the figures are available, it should be possible to gauge how much we’ll need to spend.
▷ record /rɪˈkɔːʳd/ [transitive verb]
to measure the size, speed etc of something and keep the information so that it can be used later :
▪ Police recorded his speed at 99.04 miles per hour.
▪ Last year the company recorded a profit of £1.4 million.
▷ quantify /ˈkwɒntɪfaɪ, ˈkwɒntəfaɪǁˈkwɑːn-/ [transitive verb] formal
to measure something and express it as a number or amount, so that it can be counted and compared to other amounts :
▪ Just quantifying your financial goals will make you feel more in control of your future.
▪ In the UK, the operation will not be performed until the risks are better understood and quantified.
difficult/hard/impossible etc to quantify
▪ It’s difficult to quantify how long it will take to finish the project.
2. the number or amount that you get when you measure something
▷ measurement /ˈmeʒəʳmənt/ [countable noun]
a number or amount that you get when you measure something :
▪ What are the measurements of the bedroom?
take a measurement
▪ I’ll just take a few measurements, then I can tell you how much paint you will need.
waist/chest/hip etc measurement
how much you measure around your waist, chest etc
▪ I think his chest measurement is 40, or maybe 42.
somebody’s measurements
someone’s height, waist size etc
▪ I can easily alter the dress for you, but I’ll need your exact measurements.
▷ reading /ˈriːdɪŋ/ [countable noun]
a number or result that a piece of equipment shows when you are measuring something :
▪ The electricity meter reading was much higher than I’d expected.
▪ We use atmospheric pressure readings from barometers to forecast the weather.
3. an amount or quantity used for measuring something
▷ unit /ˈjuːnɪt, ˈjuːnət/ [countable noun]
a fixed quantity, length, or weight that is used for measuring something, for example a metre or a pint are units :
▪ What’s the unit of currency in India?
▪ It takes your body about an hour to burn up one unit of alcohol, such as half a pint of beer.
▪ The asteroids all lie between 2.2 and 3.3 astronomical units from the sun.
unit of measurement
▪ A fathom is the unit of measurement used in calculating sea depth.
▷ measure /ˈmeʒəʳ/ [singular noun]
measure of
a certain amount of liquid, especially alcohol, that you measure in any small container :
▪ To make the drink, you will need one measure of red wine to two measures of lemonade.
▪ a measure of brandy
4. to be a particular size, length etc
▷ be /bi, strong biː/ [verb]
to be a particular size, length, height, weight etc :
▪ He’s going on a diet. He’s over two hundred pounds.
▪ Our present altitude is 30,000 feet, and our speed is 500 miles per hour.
be 10 cms long/wide/deep/high/tall
▪ The room’s about six metres long and four metres wide.
be 10 cms in length/ in depth/in width etc
▪ At the shallow end, the pool’s less than one metre in depth.
▷ measure /ˈmeʒəʳ/ [verb]
to have a particular length, height, width, or depth, especially when it is known exactly :
▪ The yacht measures eighty-four feet and is fitted out to the highest standards.
▪ Surgeons use a laser with a beam measuring less than the width of a human hair.
▷ weigh /weɪ/ [verb]
to have a particular weight :
▪ The blue whale is a vast creature, weighing up to 30 tons.
▪ Our portable computer weighs 7 pounds and costs about $4000.
▪ Allen is a fast runner, despite weighing 325 pounds and having a chest like a barrel.
▪ How much do you weigh?
5. able to be measured
▷ measurable /ˈmeʒ ə rəb ə l/ [adjective]
if something is measurable, it is possible to measure it :
▪ Pain and suffering are not measurable.
measurable benefits/improvements/results etc
▪ While the technique had little impact on infants, it produced measurable benefits with 7 to 9 year olds.
▷ quantifiable /ˈkwɒntɪfaɪəb ə l, ˈkwɒntəfaɪəb ə lǁˈkwɑːn-/ [adjective] formal
if something is quantifiable, it is possible to measure it and show it as a number or amount, so that it can be compared to other numbers or amounts :
▪ More complete and quantifiable data has come from the laboratory recently.
▪ Managers should have clear goals and their performance should be quantifiable.