punched tape

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punched tape

/pʌnt͡ʃt ˈteɪp/ US, UK

Rhymes with -eɪp

Where it comes from

From punched (adjective) + tape.

noun punched tapes

historical, uncountable, usually Synonym of paper tape (“an early sequential digital storage medium originally used with teletype machines, consisting of a long roll of paper, each character being encoded as a pattern of punched holes”). Train positions and speeds were established by a track magnet at each milepost, which produced a suitable mark on the punched recording tape whenever a train passed.
Similar: punched paper tape, paper tape

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MLA

"punched tape." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/punched%20tape. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

punched tape. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/punched%20tape

Chicago

"punched tape." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/punched%20tape.

BibTeX

@misc{punched_tape_2026,
  title = {punched tape},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/punched%20tape},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}