- measure
- ▪ I. measure mea‧sure 1 [ˈmeʒə ǁ -ər] noun1. [countable] an official action, taken to deal with a particular problem:
• The company has had to take cost-cutting measures, including reducing spending on certain marketing programs.
ausˈterity ˌmeasure [countable usually plural]an official action taken by a government in order to reduce the amount of money that it spends or the amount that people spend:• The government introduced austerity measures including a freeze on public sector pay.
2. a measure of something a way of measuring or calculating something:• Gross domestic product is the Commerce Department's main measure of U.S. economic output.
• Car sales are often seen as a measure of consumer confidence.
3. [countable, uncountable] an amount or unit in a measuring system:• a table of weights and measures
ˌdry ˈmeasure [countable, uncountable]a system of units for measuring goods such as grain and sugar that are not liquids, or one of these unitsˌliquid ˈmeasure [countable, uncountable]a system of units for measuring liquids, or one of these units[m0] ▪ II. measure measure 2 verb [transitive]to find out or calculate the amount or level of something:• ways to measure and improve service quality
• This country has the third highest standard of living, as measured by per capita GDP.
measure something against something• All currencies have historically been measured against gold.
measure something in something• Overseas sales, measured in dollars, rose 18% last year.
measure up phrasal verb [intransitive]to be good enough, or as good as expected:• None of the products measured up.
measure up to• Their performance in recent years hasn't measured up to their longer-term record.
* * *
Ⅰ.measure UK US /ˈmeʒər/ verb► [I or T] to discover the exact size or amount of something: »Next, we need to measure the temperature of the mixture.
»This machine measures the patient's heart rate.
measure sth in sth »November was a record number for sales when measured in dollars.
»measuring devices/equipment/techniques
► [T] to be of a particular size: »The office measures 12 metres by 6 metres.
► [T] to judge the quality, effect, importance, or value of something: »It is difficult to measure the success of the advertising campaign at this early stage.
»Managers have changed the way they measure performance.
Ⅱ.measure UK US /ˈmeʒər/ noun► [C, usually plural] a way of achieving something, or a method for dealing with a situation: »These measures were designed to improve car safety.
»We will introduce measures to reduce noise levels in the factory.
»The company will need to take further measures to cut costs.
austerity/cost-cutting measures »It had taken a series of cost-cutting measures, including closing one of its two plants.
»drastic/draconian/radical measures
»preventative/safety/security measures
► [C] MEASURES a unit used for giving the size, weight, etc. of something: »weights and measures
»The standard measure of efficiency in the airline industry is 'cost per passenger mile'.
► [C or U] an amount or level of something: »There was a large measure of agreement between the two sides in the negotiation.
► [C] a way of judging something: »Record sales are not always a measure of a singer's popularity.
get a measure of sth »It is difficult to get an accurate measure of employee performance in this industry.
a good/true/reliable measure »Exports as a percentage of total sales are a good measure of international competitiveness.
→ See also COUNTERMEASURE(Cf. ↑countermeasure), DRY MEASURE(Cf. ↑dry measure), MADE-TO-MEASURE(Cf. ↑made-to-measure)
Financial and business terms. 2012.
