Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

duct tape

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.52 in modern English

Syllables: duc-t -tape
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A generally gray waterproof adhesive tape used for many purposes and easy to cut with the hands.

Countable; Uncountable

verb

To use duct tape in order to tape one object to another.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"I used duct tape to cover the hole in a leaky pipe."
"The government tells us we can protect against a chemical attack by duct taping the windows."
"There are Schimmel Sister stickers, and Navajo Nation stickers, Cherokee Nation stickers, Idle No More, and AIM flags duct-taped to antennas."

Etymology

Probably a corruption or eggcorn of earlier duck tape (“thick, canvas-like tape”), resulting from the relative obscurity of the term duck (“a strong, durable, tightly woven fabric; canvas-like material”), reinforced by the use of the tape in joining together heating and air conditioning duct work. See also the etymology at duck tape.

Usage

Inflected Forms

duct tapes (plural) duct-tape (alternative) duct tapes (present, singular) duct taping (participle, present) duct taped (participle, past) duct taped (past)

Phrases

gaffer tape

Frequently Paired Words

gaffer tape

Synonyms

duck tape gray tape

Questions

What does duct tape mean?: A generally gray waterproof adhesive tape used for many purposes and easy to cut with the hands.
Where does duct tape come from?: Probably a corruption or eggcorn of earlier duck tape (“thick, canvas-like tape”), resulting from the relative obscurity of the term duck (“a strong, durable, tightly woven fabric; canvas-like material”), reinforced by the use of the tape in joining together heating and air conditioning duct work. See also the etymology at duck tape.

How to pronounce duct tape

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