drape
Americanverb (used with object)
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drapes,
present (3rd person singular)
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draped,
past participle, past
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draping
present participle
-
to cover or hang with cloth or other fabric, especially in graceful folds; adorn with drapery.
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to adjust (curtains, clothes, etc.) into graceful folds, attractive lines, etc.
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to arrange, hang, or let fall carelessly.
Don't drape your feet over the chair!
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Medicine/Medical, Surgery. to place cloth so as to surround (a part to be examined, treated, or operated upon).
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(in reinforced-concrete construction) to hang (reinforcement) in a certain form between two points before pouring the concrete.
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to put a black cravat on (a flagstaff ) as a token of mourning.
verb (used without object)
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drapes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
draped,
past participle, past
-
draping
present participle
noun
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drapes
plural
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a curtain or hanging of heavy fabric and usually considerable length, especially either of a pair for covering a window and drawn open and shut horizontally.
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either of a pair of similar curtains extending or draped at the sides of a window, French doors, or the like as decoration.
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manner or style of hanging.
the drape of a skirt.
verb
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(tr) to hang or cover with flexible material or fabric, usually in folds; adorn
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to hang or arrange or be hung or arranged, esp in folds
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(tr) to place casually and loosely; hang
she draped her arm over the back of the chair
noun
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(often plural) a cloth or hanging that covers something in folds; drapery
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the way in which fabric hangs
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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drapesimple
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drapessimple
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have drapedperfect
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has drapedperfect
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am drapingprogressive
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are drapingprogressive
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is drapingprogressive
-
have been drapingperfect progressive
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has been drapingperfect progressive
Past
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drapedsimple
-
had drapedperfect
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was drapingprogressive
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were drapingprogressive
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had been drapingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of drape
1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French draper, derivative of drap cloth ( see drab 1)
Explanation
The drape of fabric or material is the way it looks — the shape it takes — when it's hanging. If you're sewing a dress, you need to use fabric with the right sort of drape. You can describe the drape of a piece of velvet or cotton — and you can also use drape to mean "curtain." You could even say, "I just love the drape of those drapes!" When drape is a verb, it means "to cover loosely," as when you drape a quilt over your old sofa to hide its the rips and stains. In the 1940s and 50s, drape was also a slang term for a cool suit of clothes.
Vocabulary lists containing drape
I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79
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I Survived the Japanese Tsunami, 2011
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Team Italy has an Armani jacket to drape on anyone who hits a homer while downing his shot of coffee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
And I agree it should be socially acceptable to drape oneself in velvet External link.
From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025
Sometimes the agents would stage mannequins in the passenger seats, or drape curtains over the windshield, or put a bag over their heads to avoid being photographed.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2025
“Just drape them down and leave a little bit of the history of the building behind them.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
I drape my arms around her shoulders and rest my head on the nearest one.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
TV cameras have captured trucks unloading drapes, lights, food and even a "40-inch mirror ball".
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Wilson believes that Snow Secure—the high-tech insulated polystyrene blanket that unfolds like an accordion, then drapes over a pile of snow—is just the invention.
From Slate ● Apr. 11, 2026
She has this fantastic wallpaper that she did up the walls, across the ceiling, and turned into drapes.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 7, 2026
The living room of Adams’ home consists of bright velvet pieces, a mirrored side table and white drapes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
The heavy drapes swayed as the wind found its way through the boards covering the windows.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
She cried afterward, as her family draped her in leis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
In the dining room, vintage Doyle Lane ceramic beads dangle from a Mission-style wooden clock while designer handbags are draped over chairs and hat racks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Young people draped in Indian flags queued for food, painted placards and posed for photographs, while rows of police and paramilitary personnel sealed every road to parliament around them.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Several participants in the commemoration were draped in Israeli and EU flags, as they paid their respects at a monument erected in 2001 to mark the site of the pogrom.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Then she draped the bundle across her back to keep it from getting muddy and hoisted herself into the tunnel again.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
Supporters waved Egyptian flags and Palestinian flags in support of nearby Gaza, as well as a poster of coach Hossam Hossan draping both flags over himself during the tournament.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Photographs shared online show some of them taping up windows and draping windproof nets across their homes and shops.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The outlet reported that workers have been draping the entire arena in fabric since Monday to transform the space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
In 1967, his black evening gown with cape radiated simplicity in form and draping even as it also referenced the attire of Catholic priests.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
Babi pointed to rice paddies and barley fields draping the slopes.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
