comic strip

American  

noun

1. a sequence of drawings, either in color or black and white, relating a comic incident, an adventure or mystery story, etc., often serialized, typically having dialogue printed in balloons, and usually printed as a horizontal strip in daily newspapers and in an uninterrupted block or longer sequence of such strips in Sunday newspapers and in comic books.

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comic strip British  

noun

1. Also called: strip cartoon.  a sequence of drawings in a newspaper, magazine, etc, relating a humorous story or an adventure

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Etymology

Origin of comic strip

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20

Example Sentences

I’m starting to think large numbers of American voters — and especially conservatives — have never read the “Peanuts” comic strip.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

The comic strip featured a boss with two points of black hair resembling horns.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026

The creator of the “Dilbert” comic strip had battled prostate cancer for many years.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026

“No one reads the comic strips in newspapers anymore,” Menta said, “but if you think about it, a four-panel comic strip, it’s actually an Instagram carousel.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025

I heard from the children of Phil Nowlan, the man who used to write the comic strip “Buck Rogers.”

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

Related Words

• cartoon
• comic