a device for reading from or writing to magnetic tape
tape drive in American English
noun
Computing
a program-controlled device that reads data from or writes data on a magnetic tape which moves past a read-write head
Word origin
[1950–55]This word is first recorded in the period 1950–55. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Common Market, International Gothic, bleep, hot line, point spread
Examples of 'tape drive' in a sentence
tape drive
A tape drive costs about 300, with backup tapes typically about 20 each.