videotape

videotape — noun

IPA/ˈvɪdiəʊteɪp/
KK[vˈɪdiotˈep]IPA/ˈvɪdiəʊteɪp/
  • videotapesingular
  • videotapesplural

1. A long strip of magnetic material inside a plastic housing, designed to store mo

1.nounB1
Definition

A long strip of magnetic material inside a plastic housing, designed to store moving images and the sounds that go with them so they can be played back later.

Example

Grandpa keeps boxes of old videotape under his bed.

uncountable: boxes of videotape (medium, not cassette)

The library had shelves full of videotape recordings from the 1980s.

Common collocations
  • blank videotape
  • length of videotape
  • reel of videotape
  • magnetic videotape
Synonyms
  • magnetic tape

    more general term; also used for audio and computer data storage

  • recording tape

    emphasises the purpose but is less common in everyday talk

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

a length/roll/reel of videotape

on videotape

Usage Note

In everyday speech, 'videotape' often refers to the whole cassette rather than just the tape inside. This meaning (the magnetic strip itself) is more common in technical or retail contexts, such as buying 'a spool of videotape'.

Common Mistakes

I recorded the show on videotape with my phone.
I recorded the show on my phone.
Videotape is a physical magnetic medium, not a digital format; phones use digital storage, not tape.

2. A rectangular plastic box that holds a length of magnetic tape and is made to fi

2.nounB1
Definition

A rectangular plastic box that holds a length of magnetic tape and is made to fit into a video player so that recorded programmes, films, or home movies can be watched on a television.

Example

Dahlia put the videotape into the VCR and pressed play.

collocation: put + videotape + into + VCR

Brian rewound the videotape before returning it to the video shop.

Common collocations
  • blank videotape
  • rental videotape
  • rewind a videotape
  • label a videotape
Synonyms
  • video cassette

    more formal; refers clearly to the cassette as a packaged product

  • cassette

    shorter; context must clarify whether audio or video

  • VHS tape

    brand-specific term that became generic for the most common videotape format

Antonyms
  • DVD

    the optical-disc format that largely replaced videotape

  • digital file

    modern replacement without physical cassette

Grammar Patterns

a/one/two videotape(s)

put/insert a videotape into [machine]

Usage Note

Often shortened to 'tape' in informal speech ('a box of old tapes'). The phrase 'on videotape' can refer to either the cassette or the medium; context determines which.

Common Mistakes

I bought a videotape for my camera.
I bought a memory card for my camera.
Most modern cameras use digital storage, not videotape.
Can you copy this file onto a videotape?
Can you copy this file onto a USB drive?
Videotapes store analogue video signals, not computer files.

videotape — verb

IPA/ˈvɪd.i.əʊ.teɪp/
KK[vˈɪdiotˈep]IPA/ˈvɪd.i.oʊ.teɪp/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All three words describe capturing moving images, but they differ in medium and formality. 'Record' is the broadest and most neutral term — it works for any format (digital, analogue, audio, video) and is the safest choice in modern English. 'Tape' is informal and implies a tape-based medium; it is common in everyday speech ('I taped the game') but inappropriate in formal or technical writing. 'Film' originally meant recording on photographic film stock, but in modern usage it also means operating any video camera, especially in creative or professional contexts ('She filmed the documentary'). Use 'record' for general purposes, 'film' when a camera is involved and you want a slightly more active or artistic tone, and 'tape' only when the medium was actually magnetic tape or when speaking casually about the past.

record ↗tape ↗film ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • videotape recording
  • videotape format
  • videotape collection

Phrases

  • on videotape
  • commit to videotape

Prepositions

  • on (on videotape)

Etymology

LatinEnglishEnglish

'Videotape' is a compound word formed in English around the early 1950s from 'video' (meaning 'television picture', from Latin 'vidēre' = 'to see') and 'tape' (from Old English 'tæppe', a strip of cloth, which later came to mean a narrow strip of flexible material). The combination reflected the new technology of storing television signals on magnetic tape rather than broadcasting them live.