strapping
1 Americanadjective
-
powerfully built; robust.
-
large; whopping.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of strapping1
First recorded in 1650–60; strap + -ing 2
Origin of strapping2
Explanation
When someone is strapping, they're strikingly strong looking. Why don't you ask those strapping friends of yours to help you carry that piano up the stairs? The adjective strapping usually describe someone who appears to be young, muscular, and robust. When it was first used in the 17th century, it almost always referred to a tall, sturdy woman. Today, it's more often used for young men. Strapping is part of an odd category of adjectives meaning "large" which are formed from violent verbs — to strap is to "beat with a strap." Others are whopping and spanking.
Vocabulary lists containing strapping
Vigorous Vocab: Synonyms for "Strong"
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The Odyssey
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The Fault in Our Stars
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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.
That’s why scientists in Arizona are strapping volunteers into harnesses and lowering them onto wet floors: to find what kinds of surfaces are safest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
“If they had let us in sooner, we could have really helped save lives,” said Michael Saavedra, a strapping 6-foot-5-inch Miami Beach firefighter who is the team’s director.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Wearing strapping around her lower right leg, Raducanu looked tentative in an hour with her team on the Aorangi Park practice courts, where her mobility was not overly tested.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Wearing a small patch of strapping for the semi-final, any concerns that the slip might cause her problems were soon allayed as Raducanu made a superb start by holding to love.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
One was so ancient he appeared to be withering before their very eyes; the other was tall and strapping, with a thin black mustache.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
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.
