Meanings
plural duct tapes · alternative duct-tape
- countableuncountableA generally gray waterproof adhesive tape used for many purposes and easy to cut with the hands.
I used duct tape to cover the hole in a leaky pipe.
present singular third person duct tapes · participle present duct taping · participle past duct taped · past duct taped · alternative duct-tape
- transitiveTo use duct tape in order to tape one object to another.
The government tells us we can protect against a chemical attack by duct taping the windows.
1 more example
There are Schimmel Sister stickers, and Navajo Nation stickers, Cherokee Nation stickers, Idle No More, and AIM flags duct-taped to antennas.
2018, Tommy Orange, “Interlude”, in There There, New York, N.Y.: Vintage Books, →ISBN, page 136
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA generally gray waterproof adhesive tape used for many purposes and easy to cut with the hands.
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans kleefband
- kleefbandmultipurpose waterproof tape
Arabic شَرِيط لَاصِق
- شَرِيط لَاصِق (šarīṭ lāṣiq)multipurpose waterproof tape
Chinese Cantonese 牛皮膠紙 /牛皮胶纸
- 牛皮膠紙 /牛皮胶纸 (ngau⁴ pei⁴ gaau¹ zi²)multipurpose waterproof tape
Chinese Mandarin 不透明膠帶 /不透明胶带, 塑膠膠帶 /塑胶胶带
- 不透明膠帶 /不透明胶带 (bútòumíng jiāodài)multipurpose waterproof tape
- 塑膠膠帶 /塑胶胶带 (sùjiāo jiāodài)multipurpose waterproof tape
- 布基膠帶 /布基胶带 (bùjī jiāodài)multipurpose waterproof tape
- 用膠帶黏貼 /用胶带黏贴 (yòng jiāodài niántiē)use duct tape
Danish gaffatape
- gaffatapemultipurpose waterproof tape
Finnish ilmastointiteippi, jeesusteippi
- ilmastointiteippimultipurpose waterproof tape
- jeesusteippimultipurpose waterproof tape
- jesarimultipurpose waterproof tape
- teipata (ilmastointiteipillä)use duct tape
French chatterton, ruban adhésif
- chatterton, ruban adhésifmultipurpose waterproof tape
German Panzerband, wasserfestes Gewebeklebeband
- Panzerbandmultipurpose waterproof tape
- wasserfestes Gewebeklebebandmultipurpose waterproof tape
- Gewebebandmultipurpose waterproof tape
- mit Gewebeband verklebenuse duct tape
Hungarian ragasztószalag, szigetelőszalag
- ragasztószalagmultipurpose waterproof tape
- szigetelőszalagmultipurpose waterproof tape
Italian nastro adesivo
- nastro adesivomultipurpose waterproof tape
Japanese ダクトテープ, ガムテープ
- ダクトテープ (dakuto tēpu)multipurpose waterproof tape
- ガムテープ (gamu tēpu)multipurpose waterproof tape
Korean 덕트 테이프
- 덕트 테이프 (deokteu teipeu)multipurpose waterproof tape
Polish taśma klejąca, przyklejać taśmą klejącą
- taśma klejącamultipurpose waterproof tape
- przyklejać taśmą klejącąuse duct tape
- przykleić taśmą klejącąuse duct tape
Portuguese silver tape
- silver tapemultipurpose waterproof tape
Russian скотч, изоле́нта
- скотч (skotč)multipurpose waterproof tape
- изоле́нта (izolénta)multipurpose waterproof tape
- закле́ить ско́тчем (zakléitʹ skótčem)use duct tape
- закле́ивать ско́тчем (zakléivatʹ skótčem)use duct tape
- закле́ить изоле́нтой (zakléitʹ izoléntoj)use duct tape
- закле́ивать изоле́нтой (zakléivatʹ izoléntoj)use duct tape
- скле́ить ско́тчем (skléitʹ skótčem)use duct tape
- скле́ивать ско́тчем (skléivatʹ skótčem)use duct tape
- скле́ить изоле́нтой (skléitʹ izoléntoj)use duct tape
- скле́ивать изоле́нтой (skléivatʹ izoléntoj)use duct tape
Spanish cinta americana, cinta plateada
- cinta americanamultipurpose waterproof tape
- cinta plateadamultipurpose waterproof tape
- tape (teip)multipurpose waterproof tape
- teipemultipurpose waterproof tape
- cinta tapaductomultipurpose waterproof tape
- pegar con cinta americanause duct tape
Swedish vävtejp, silvertejp
- vävtejpmultipurpose waterproof tape
- silvertejpmultipurpose waterproof tape
Ukrainian клейка́ стрі́чка
- клейка́ стрі́чка (klejká stríčka)multipurpose waterproof tape
Cite this entry
duct tape. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/duct%20tape
“duct tape.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/duct%20tape. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “duct tape,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/duct%20tape.
Source: duct tape on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.