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• draper
  draper

  noun

  a dealer in cloth; a retail merchant or clerk who sells piece goods.
• Draper
  Draper

  noun

  Henry, 1837–82, U.S. astronomer.

draper

¹ American  

[drey-per] / ˈdreɪ pər /

noun

British.

1. a dealer in cloth; a retail merchant or clerk who sells piece goods.

2. a retail merchant or clerk who sells clothing and dry goods.

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Draper ² American  

[drey-per] / ˈdreɪ pər /

noun

1. Henry, 1837–82, U.S. astronomer.

2. his father John William, 1811–82, U.S. chemist, physiologist, historian, and writer; born in England.

3. Ruth, 1884–1956, U.S. diseuse and writer of character sketches.

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draper ¹ British  

/ ˈdreɪpə /

noun

1. a dealer in fabrics and sewing materials

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Draper ² British  

/ ˈdreɪpə /

noun

1. Henry. 1837–82, US astronomer, who contributed to stellar classification and spectroscopy

2. his father, John William. 1811–82, US chemist and historian, born in England, made the first photograph of the moon

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Draper Scientific  

/ drā′pər /

1. American astronomer who developed methods for photographing celestial objects and phenomena. He became the first to photograph a stellar spectrum (1872) and a nebula (1880).

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Etymology

Origin of draper

1325–75; Middle English < Anglo-French; Old French drapier, equivalent to drap cloth + -ier -ier ²; see -er ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

draper Draper

At the same time, Leeuwenhoek mostly continued with his careers as a draper and a world-renowned expert on developing microscopes.

From Salon ● Jan. 2, 2023

The poet’s third husband was Richard Prowse, of Exeter, a prominent draper who was also the city’s bailiff, sheriff, alderman, and mayor, as well as a Member of Parliament.

From The New Yorker ● Aug. 5, 2019

Becoming a drapers apprentice, aged 14, in 1856, he came to London and landed a job as a salesman for the prestigious Oxford Street draper Peter Robinson.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2014

The son of a rich Dublin draper, Lawless further expanded his financial position by marrying the heiress of a brewer, Margaret Browne, and was made a peer.

From New York Times ● Jul. 22, 2011

The draper sat upon the cobbles of the street, his hair lank, and a daughter of perhaps my age wandered about through the wreckage, picking up silks and attempting to drag them back inside.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

Draper is one of the sport’s most ferocious young talents, considered a challenger to Sinner and Alcaraz.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Earlier in the week, there was the agonizing sight of Jack Draper, the former Top-10 British wunderkind, tearing up mid-match as he continues to be hobbled by arm pain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Since injuring his shoulder at the US Open in August, Draper has struggled with bone bruising and pulled out of scheduled comebacks at Wimbledon and the Washington Open this summer.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

It is another frustrating setback for Draper and a similar scenario to the All England Club, where he talked positively about his fitness before withdrawing just 24 hours before his first-round match.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Capt. Draper, he opined it was sure the sweetest Music he had heard.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson