Tape Meaning

UK /teɪp/
US /teɪp/
Word Definition
tape meaning

Tape Definition & Usage

noun

A narrow strip of material, often adhesive, used for sticking, binding, or covering things.

Examples

  • "I need some tape to wrap this gift."
  • "She pulled the tape from the dispenser and sealed the envelope."
  • "He used duct tape to fix the leak in the pipe."
  • "The artist covered the canvas with masking tape to create clean edges."
  • "The movers wrapped the furniture in bubble wrap and secured it with tape."
verb

To attach something with adhesive tape or to cover something using tape.

Examples

  • "Please tape the box shut before you send it."
  • "He taped the edges of the photo to the wall."
  • "She taped the report to the bulletin board for everyone to see."
  • "I’ll tape the wires to the floor so no one trips over them."
  • "We taped the documents together before handing them to the client."
noun

A recording medium, typically magnetic, used for storing audio, video, or data.

Examples

  • "The interview was recorded on a tape and sent to the radio station."
  • "They discovered an old tape of their family’s vacation in 1995."
  • "He spent hours searching through the old tapes for his favorite movie."
  • "Many people still own a collection of cassette tapes from the 1980s."
  • "She brought her tape recorder to class to capture the lecture."
noun

A recorded audio or video file, especially from older media like cassettes or VHS tapes.

Examples

  • "He handed me the tape from the concert so I could listen to it later."
  • "She watched the whole tape in one sitting."
  • "That’s an old tape from when I used to play in a band."
  • "Do you remember that tape of our graduation ceremony?"
  • "I found a tape of the interview we did back in '95."

Cultural Context

Tape, particularly adhesive tape, has been a household and office staple since the 20th century. The invention of the Scotch tape in the 1930s revolutionized everyday tasks, making it an essential item for both domestic and commercial purposes. 'Tape' also became a metaphor for media storage, especially with the rise of cassette tapes and VHS tapes in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, the term is used broadly, even to refer to any form of recording or storage medium.

The Tape Collector

Story

The Tape Collector

Tim had always loved old things. The attic was his personal museum—filled with relics of the past, most notably, boxes of old cassette tapes. One rainy afternoon, he found a tape recorder buried beneath layers of dust. He knew immediately which tape he was looking for: a rare recording of his grandfather’s stories from when he was young. With a smile, Tim popped in the tape and pressed play. The sound of static gave way to his grandfather’s familiar voice, telling tales of the old country. It was a treasure he'd almost forgotten about. His grandmother had wrapped the tape in a piece of cloth to keep it safe, and now it was a link to a past that seemed both distant and immediate. As the tape spun, Tim thought about how much had changed since those days. His grandmother had used tape for everything—wrapping gifts, sealing letters, even fixing things around the house. Tim had often used tape in his own life, but never for sentimental purposes. He was about to toss a roll of tape to seal a box when his hand paused. Maybe he should hold on to that one—like the old tape he was listening to now. Later that day, Tim had to tape the pages of a photo album. He found a roll of duct tape, thick and silver. It wasn't ideal for this delicate job, but it would hold the pages in place until he could get proper archival tape. As he carefully affixed each corner, he remembered that his grandfather had done the same thing years ago—taping the corners of old family photos to prevent them from curling up. In a way, both tapes were linked: the old cassette, preserving memories, and the new roll, keeping things intact for the future. Tim realized that tape, in all its forms, had played a role in holding things together, both literally and figuratively, across generations.

The Tape Collector