stripe
1 Americannoun
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a relatively long, narrow band of a different color, appearance, weave, material, or nature from the rest of a surface or thing.
the stripes of a zebra.
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a fabric or material containing such a band or bands.
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a strip of braid, tape, or the like.
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stripes,
-
a number or combination of such strips, worn on a military, naval, or other uniform as a badge of rank, service, good conduct, combat wounds, etc.
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Informal. status or recognition as a result of one's efforts, experience, or achievements.
She earned her stripes as a traveling sales representative and then moved up to district manager.
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a strip, or long, narrow piece of anything.
a stripe of beach.
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a streak or layer of a different nature within a substance.
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style, variety, sort, or kind.
a man of quite a different stripe.
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Also called magnetic stripe. Movies. a strip of iron oxide layer on the edge of a film that is used for recording and reproducing a magnetic sound track.
verb (used with object)
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stripes,
present (3rd person singular)
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striped,
past participle, past
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striping
present participle
noun
noun
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a relatively long band of distinctive colour or texture that differs from the surrounding material or background
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a fabric having such bands
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a strip, band, or chevron of fabric worn on a military uniform, etc, esp one that indicates rank
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kind; sort; type
a man of a certain stripe
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stripesimple
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stripessimple
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have stripedperfect
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has stripedperfect
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am stripingprogressive
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are stripingprogressive
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is stripingprogressive
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have been stripingperfect progressive
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has been stripingperfect progressive
Past
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stripedsimple
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had stripedperfect
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was stripingprogressive
-
were stripingprogressive
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had been stripingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stripe1
First recorded in 1620–30; probably from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German strīpe; see also strip 2, stripe 2
Origin of stripe2
First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English; obscurely akin to stripe 1
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:
In Los Angeles, home base for cinephiles of every stripe, scoring one of these coveted opening weekend tickets was particularly challenging.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Once the Revolutionary War commenced, and for years after, America’s merchant marine fleet was targeted by pirates of every stripe.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
For travelers of nearly every stripe, that means turning to agents—also called advisers—who can dig up hidden nooks while snagging free upgrades, arranging local guides and ensuring seamless transfers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
If either wins it would be the first time the post of first minister has been under their party's stripe - and the first time anyone other than a Labour politician has been in charge.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026
But this was entertainment of a different stripe altogether, for on top of all the other delights unfolding on the stage, every now and then the pirates burst into song.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
The poll found that 14% of voters of all political stripes remain unsure about their pick.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
Along with the yellow jersey, the “Classic Sol” jersey includes era-specific number design and three blue shoulder stripes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Sunday's World Cup final will be his 34th appearance in the competition, but will it be the last we see of Messi in the famous blue and white stripes?
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Americans of most political stripes unabashedly fly the American flag from their homes and adorn everything from T-shirts to trucks with the red, white and blue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
I had pairs in brown, black, rainbow stripes, flowers, and now purple.
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
The photo shows a vacationing couple seated in striped deck chairs beneath a brightly coloured parasol on a beach.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
In basketball, that may involve shoes, a striped shirt, pants and a whistle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
On May 10 in a Damascus courtroom, Atef Najib, Assad’s cousin, sat shackled in a metal cage dressed in a drab striped prison uniform.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
They’ve got beautiful stools, striped upholstering, but they also have, you know, soaps and again incense, and just cute things.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
She wore the striped skirt and tunic of Plaszow’s female prisoners.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
We bought a bunch of road rental companies — all those orange barricades and cones and striping you see on the roads.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
If the lane striping isn’t perfect, though, the lane-keeping assist sometimes disables itself, so I don’t rely on it completely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025
Knitters can opt for smaller patterns that require less yarn, or use up leftover yarn through designs that allow for different yarns to be cobbled together, such as striping.
From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2025
They would slow down repairs to traffic signals and maintenance of signage and lane striping.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2025
Karl stood with his face to the charred building, soot striping it like war paint.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
