# tape

Pronunciation: say "TAYP" /teɪ̯p/

## Noun

1. Flexible material sold in rolls, coated with adhesive on one or both sides, used to fasten or seal things.
   - Simple: A sticky strip of plastic or paper that you use to stick things together.
   - _He sealed the package with two strips of clear tape._
   - _Double-sided tape holds the carpet edges flat without nails._
2. Thin, flat strips of paper, plastic, cloth, or similar flexible material, typically produced in rolls.
   - Simple: A long, thin, flat strip of paper, plastic, or cloth, usually sold in a roll.
   - _Workers stretched caution tape across the entrance to the construction site._
   - _The seamstress marked the hem with a length of cotton tape._
4. Recording material, either magnetic or optical, wound on a reel or spool, as used for audio and video.
   - Simple: A long strip of special plastic, kept on a roll, used for recording sound or video.
   - _Archivists are transferring decades of footage from tape to digital files._
   - _The studio still keeps a few machines that can play reel-to-reel tape._
5. Any audio or video recording, regardless of how it was made or stored. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A video or sound recording of any kind, even one made without real tape.
   - _Reporters obtained tape of the senator's closed-door remarks._
   - _We've got the whole incident on tape from three different angles._
7. A strip of material stretched across a track to mark the finish line of a race.
   - Simple: A thin band across the finish line of a race that the winner breaks first.
   - _She lunged for the tape and won by a fraction of a second._
   - _Officials restrung the tape before the final heat of the day._
8. Clipping of red tape. — Clipping of red tape (“time-consuming bureaucratic procedures”).
   - Simple: Short for red tape. Use it to talk about slow official rules and paperwork.
9. The continuous series of prices at which a stock or other financial instrument trades.
   - Simple: The record of prices as a stock is bought and sold during the day.
   - _Experienced traders learn to read the tape rather than rely on headlines._
   - _After the announcement, the tape filled with large block trades._
10. The wrapping applied to the blade of a hockey stick, covering the surface used to handle the puck.
   - Simple: The covering wrapped around the blade of a hockey stick, where it touches the puck.
   - _Fresh tape on the blade gives the puck a bit more grip._
   - _The captain's saucer pass hit the rookie's tape in full stride._
11. An unthinking, patterned response that runs whenever a particular stimulus triggers it. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A way of reacting that repeats every time the same thing happens, without any thought.
   - _Any mention of money starts the same tape: defensiveness, then a lecture about waste._
   - _Therapy helped him notice the tape that ran every time a deadline approached._
12. A strong, flexible band running on pulleys that guides sheets of paper through a printing machine.
   - Simple: A strong band that runs on wheels inside an old printing machine and moves the paper sheets through it.
   - _When a tape frayed, sheets began jamming halfway through the press._
   - _The apprentice learned to set the tension of each tape before a run._

## Verb

3. To bind, fasten, or seal something with adhesive tape.
   - Simple: To stick or fasten something with sticky tape.
   - _Movers tape the boxes shut before loading them onto the truck._
   - _She taped a note to the refrigerator before leaving for work._
6. To record audio or video, originally onto magnetic tape.
   - Simple: To record sound or pictures so you can watch or listen later.
   - _We tape every rehearsal so the cast can review their timing._
   - _The interview was taped in front of a live audience._
13. To understand or figure out someone or something, chiefly in the construction 'have (got) someone taped'. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To understand someone or something completely. Used mostly in the phrase 'have someone taped'.
   - _She'd only been in the office a month, but she had the politics of the place taped._
   - _The detective reckoned he had the suspect's routine taped within days._

## Noun

14. Liquor or alcoholic drink, especially gin or brandy. *(obsolete, UK)*
   - Simple: Strong alcoholic drink, especially gin or brandy.

## Origin

It comes from Middle English "tape" or "tappe," from Old English "tæppa, tæppe" (ribbon, tape); the further origin is unclear. It is probably related to Old Frisian "tapia" (to pull, rip, tear) and Middle Low German "tappen" (to grab, pull, rip, tear).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tape (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).