fish tape

noun

A long strip of stiff metal, frequently kept on a spool, used to guide or draw wires and cables through a building.

“The installers attempted to thread the fish tape through the conduit, but were unable to reach around the tight bend in the tube.”

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Meanings

nounfish tape (countable and uncountable, plural fish tapes)

plural fish tapes

  1. countableuncountableA long strip of stiff metal, frequently kept on a spool, used to guide or draw wires and cables through a building.

    The installers attempted to thread the fish tape through the conduit, but were unable to reach around the tight bend in the tube.

Origin

From fish (“to get hold of an object”) + tape.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

fish tape. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fish%20tape

MLA

“fish tape.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fish%20tape. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fish tape,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fish%20tape.

Source: fish tape on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.