MEASURES Synonyms: 220 Similar and Opposite Words

measures 1 of 2

noun

plural of measure

as in means

an action planned or taken to achieve a desired result such new security measures as metal detectors at all the entrances

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Relevance

as in amounts

a given or particular mass or aggregate of matter each day prisoners were given only a small measure of rice to live on

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as in standards

something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared during the Renaissance, man came to be viewed as the measure of all things

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in rhythms

the recurrent pattern formed by a series of sounds having a regular rise and fall in intensity the song's soft, soothing measures make it a good lullaby

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as in dimensions

the total amount of measurable space or surface occupied by something a slipcover for the couch that was made to measure

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measures

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of measure

as in gauges

to find out the size, extent, or amount of for this experiment, you need to carefully measure all the chemicals before you mix them together

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as in controls

to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) he carefully measured his response to the provocative question

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of measures

Noun

Health, finance and transport ministers will meet next week with regional organizations invited, to discuss national and cross-border measures. — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026 French President Emmanuel Macron said such measures aim to protect city centers, businesses and public buildings. — Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026 In Ohio, America PAC is funding ads, text and phone outreach among other measures helping Republican Jon Husted against Democrat Sherrod Brown, according to FEC filings. — Luke Fountain,lora Kolodny, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026 Their efforts focus on dismantling measures supporting transgender populations, particularly by restricting gender-neutral bathroom access and slashing dedicated welfare programs and specialized healthcare services. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 The students said understanding the measures can be difficult even for people who have spent months studying them. — James Taylor, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 It is not classified as a disease under the EU Animal Health Law and not subject to official surveillance or control measures. — CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026 Each section used in the demonstration measures 10 feet by 10 feet, with three sections stacked to create a column. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026 Determined to save both his school and his future, Soulan resorts to increasingly desperate measures, including dangerous cross-border fuel smuggling, as his natural decency comes into conflict with his modest ambitions. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

Verb

It’s considered the gold standard in assessments and is the only common yardstick that measures student learning across the country. — Lamar Alexander, Time, 23 Oct. 2026 Overall, two-thirds of patients did better on a frailty score that measures grip strength, chair stands, and balancing. — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 22 Oct. 2026 Thursday’s note measures gross job losses rather than unemployment, because the jobless rate hides people. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026 Using primary production data, EIM measures water and energy consumption and chemical use, as well as worker impact at the garment-finishing stage, and classifies environmental performance as low, medium or high impact. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026 Unlike chronological age, which measures the number of years a person has lived, biological age reflects how well the body has aged at the cellular and physical level. — Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 This blowdryer also uses an exclusive Time in Flight sensor that measures the blowdryer's distance from your scalp and adjusts the heat temperature for comfortable styling. — Tasha Nicole Smith, Allure, 21 Oct. 2026 That starting unit ranked in the 90th percentile in efficiency differential, which measures the quality of that lineup, per Cleaning the Glass. — Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 19 Oct. 2026 Systolic blood pressure is the first or top number in your blood pressure reading, which measures the pressure your blood is exerts against your artery walls. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 14 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for measures

Noun

Analysts attributed elevated gas prices to ongoing fighting in the Middle East, which has damaged oil infrastructure and forced firms to take up costly means of transporting crude.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Only Washington, North Carolina and Oregon tracked rejection rates with enough detail to distinguish ballots received in the mail from those received by some other means, like a ballot drop box.

— Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of means

Noun

As an independent expenditure committee, Unidos Con Karen Bass is allowed to raise campaign donations in unlimited amounts.

— David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Tech companies are borrowing huge amounts of money from investors, in the form of bonds, crowding out demand for other debt, including Treasuries.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of amounts

Noun

As the industry kept growing, Congress added safety, noise and emissions standards to protect the communities living beneath the flight paths.

— Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Staff are attentive and helpful without being overly formal, delivering the high standards of a larger hotel with the personal touch of a boutique property.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of standards

Noun

Obialo silences certain layers while modulating others, nestling rhythms like honeycombs.

— Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
Shorter days alter light exposure, which affects circadian rhythms, the internal biological processes that regulate sleep, alertness and mood.

— Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of rhythms

Noun

The researchers also explored more exotic scenarios involving additional spatial dimensions and theories that extend beyond Einstein’s general relativity.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
North Carolina State University But the new robot can maneuver in three dimensions using a few elastic limbs and just two actuators.

— Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of dimensions

Verb

Clarity gauges whether or not the diamond has of internal imperfections or external flaws, and carat weight, the most obvious of them all, provides insight into the actual metric weight of the diamond.

— Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
Another neat trick this TV has up its sleeve is an AI light sensor that gauges the room's ambient light and automatically adjusts the screen brightness to it.

— Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of gauges

Verb

Six in 10 families can’t afford the basic cost of living in the battleground districts that will determine which party controls the House, a Washington Post analysis has found.

— Amy L. Wong, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Although Chen Mechan is accused of firing on the Salvadoran’s vehicles, sources said its heavily armed men received backup from Joseph’s 400 Mawozo, which controls the neighboring territory.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of controls

Noun

The other two, Descript and Resemble AI, had taken steps to make nonconsensual cloning harder.

— Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Yet over the past year, Netanyahu has taken steps that angered Trump and others in his administration, including strikes in Lebanon and Gaza that undercut his regional peace efforts.

— Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026