measure (n.)

  1. 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 ]

  2. how much there is or how many there are of something that you can quantify

    [ Syn: quantity , amount ]

  3. a statute in draft before it becomes law; they held a public hearing on the bill

    [ Syn: bill ]

  4. the act or process of assigning numbers to phenomena according to a rule; the measurements were carefully done; his mental measurings proved remarkably accurate

    [ Syn: measurement , measuring , mensuration ]

  5. a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated; the schools comply with federal standards; they set the measure for all subsequent work

    [ Syn: standard , criterion , touchstone ]

  6. (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse

    [ Syn: meter , metre , beat , cadence ]

  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 ]

  9. a container of some standard capacity that is used to obtain fixed amounts of a substance

    measure (v.)

  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. evaluate or estimate the nature, quality, ability, extent, or significance of; I will have the family jewels appraised by a professional; access all the factors when taking a risk

    [ Syn: evaluate , valuate , assess , appraise , value ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.