Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
tape measure
noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Santa's first shock came from the tape measure - the Claus tum measured a bloated 47 inches.
▪ Square the frame by pulling a tape measure from corner to corner to check diagonal measurements.
▪ The tape measure is perfectly all right.
▪ There they gently laid it down on top of the so-centimetre mark at the middle of the tape measure.
▪ They were asked to monitor their progress not only with scales but with a tape measure.
▪ When you have guessed all these, get a tape measure and find the real sizes.
▪ You all saw that to begin with the tape measure stretched across from one side to the other, exactly.
Wiktionary
tape measure
n. A graduated ribbon of cloth, plastic or metal used for measuring lengths.
WordNet
Wikipedia
Tape measure
A tape measure or measuring tape is a flexible ruler. It consists of a ribbon of cloth, plastic, fibre glass, or metal strip with linear-measurement markings. It is a common measuring tool. Its design allows for a measure of great length to be easily carried in pocket or toolkit and permits one to measure around curves or corners. Today it is ubiquitous, even appearing in miniature form as a keychain fob, or novelty item. Surveyors use tape measures in lengths of over 100 m (300+ ft).