measure

The word “measure” means to find the size, amount, or degree of something using an instrument or standard. In plain terms, to find out the size or amount of something, or a standard unit or official action.

“Measure” is pronounced MEHZH-uh (/ˈmɛʒ.ɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “measure” used in a sentence: “She measured the window before ordering new curtains.”

Depending on how it is used, “measure” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “measure” comes from Latin. From Old French mesure, from Latin mēnsūra ("a measuring"), from mētior ("to measure").

“Measure” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Measure” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to find the size, amount, or degree of something using an instrument or standard.

Weighing is one specific kind of measuring — finding how heavy something is using its mass or weight. Measuring is the general act of finding any size, amount, or degree, whether that is length, volume, temperature, or time. So you always measure when you weigh, but you can measure many things without weighing.

Everyday measurement usually falls into a few categories: length or distance, weight or mass, volume or capacity, temperature, and time. Others include area, speed, and pressure. Each uses its own units and instruments — a ruler for length, scales for weight, a thermometer for temperature — but all compare something against a standard.

Not everything. Physical quantities like length, weight, and time can be measured precisely with instruments. But qualities such as happiness, beauty, or loyalty resist exact measurement, because they have no natural units. People often estimate these using scales or ratings, though such measures are approximate rather than truly objective.

Using a tape measure to find the length of a table is a simple example. So is stepping on bathroom scales to check your weight, reading a thermometer for temperature, or filling a measuring jug to a set volume. Each compares the thing against a marked instrument or agreed standard.