Measure | Mean of measure in English Dictionary

/ˈmɛʒɚ/

• Noun
• an amount or degree of something
1. She felt equal measures of hope and fear.
2. The province has gained a large measure of freedom.
3. Their children want a greater measure of independence. [=they want more independence]
4. The coating provides a measure of protection [=provides some protection] against corrosion.
5. The proposal has been met with a measure [=a certain amount] of skepticism.
6. The alarm system provides an added measure of security. [=provides more security]
7. The show mixes comedy and drama in equal measure. [=in equal amounts]
8. He returned their hostility in full measure. [=he was as hostile toward them as they were toward him]
9. The company's success is due in no small measure to her talents. [=its success is largely due to her talents]
10. Their actions were motivated in large measure by a desire for revenge.
11. An occasion like this calls for some measure of decorum.
• something (such as a cup or a ruler) that is used to measure things
• a unit used in measuring something
1. The meter is a measure of length.
2. The dictionary includes a table of weights and measures.

• an action planned or taken to achieve a desired result
1. The legislature has passed a measure aimed at protecting consumers.
2. The governor has proposed a number of cost-cutting measures.
3. They were forced to resort to desperate/extreme measures.
4. protective/punitive/preventive measures
5. We need to take measures to protect ourselves.
• a sign or indication of something
1. Wealth is not a measure of happiness.
2. Her willingness to compromise is a measure of how much she's changed.
• a way of judging something
1. The company is a success by any measure.
2. Are IQ tests the best measure of intelligence?
• a part of a line of written music that is between two vertical lines or the group of beats between these lines
1. a brief clarinet solo in the third measure
2. Can you hum a few measures [=bars] of that song?
• to a very great degree
1. an artist who is talented beyond (all) measure [=who is exceptionally talented]
2. Her joy was beyond measure. [=she was very happy]
• as something added or extra
1. He performed his most recent songs, and then threw in a couple of old ones for good measure.
• to have or get a good understanding about what is needed to defeat or deal with (someone you are competing against)
1. She failed to take the measure of her opponent. [=she failed to realize how good her opponent was]
• Verb
• to find out the size, length, or amount of (something)
1. using a ruler to measure a piece of paper
2. an instrument for measuring air pressure
3. I measured [=estimated] the distance with my eye.
4. mental abilities measured by IQ testing
• to find out the size of (someone) for clothing
1. He's being measured for a new suit.
• to judge the importance, value, or extent of (something)
1. It's difficult to measure [=evaluate] the importance of these events.
2. His success cannot be measured solely on the basis of his popularity.
3. Her accomplishments need to be measured against [=compared with] those of her predecessor.
• to have a specified size
1. The cloth measures 3 meters.
2. The room measures 15 feet wide by 30 feet long.
• to measure (something) and mark its edges or its beginning and ending
1. They measured off a half-acre plot for the house lot.
2. He measured off three yards of cloth.
• to measure and remove (something) from a larger amount
1. She carefully measured out three cups of flour.
• to be as good as expected or needed
1. His early works were promising, but his recent films haven't measured up. [=his recent films haven't been as good as his early ones]
2. His recent films haven't measured up to his earlier works.
3. Her work didn't measure up to our expectations. [=was not as good as we expected it to be]