diaper
Americannoun
-
diapers
plural
-
a piece of cloth or other absorbent material folded and worn as underpants by a baby not yet toilet-trained.
-
Also called diaper cloth. a linen or cotton fabric with a woven pattern of small, constantly repeated figures, as diamonds.
-
Also called diaper pattern. such a pattern, originally used in the Middle Ages in weaving silk and gold.
verb (used with object)
-
diapers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
diapered,
past participle, past
-
diapering
present participle
-
to put a diaper on.
-
to ornament with a diaperlike pattern.
noun
-
Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): nappy. a piece of soft material, esp towelling or a disposable material, wrapped around a baby in order to absorb its excrement
-
-
a woven pattern on fabric consisting of a small repeating design, esp diamonds
-
fabric having such a pattern
-
such a pattern, used as decoration
-
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
diapersimple
-
diaperssimple
-
have diaperedperfect
-
has diaperedperfect
-
am diaperingprogressive
-
are diaperingprogressive
-
is diaperingprogressive
-
have been diaperingperfect progressive
-
has been diaperingperfect progressive
Past
-
diaperedsimple
-
had diaperedperfect
-
was diaperingprogressive
-
were diaperingprogressive
-
had been diaperingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of diaper
1300–50; Middle English diapre < Anglo-French dia(s)p(r)e < Medieval Latin diasprus made of diaper < Medieval Greek díaspros pure white, equivalent to Greek di- di- 3 ( def. ) + Medieval Greek áspros white
Explanation
A diaper is what babies wear before they’re potty trained. It’s a white cloth or other disposable fabric that’s folded up between the baby’s legs to catch the poop and whatnot. Awwww, isn’t that cute? In many countries, a diaper is also called a "nappy.” A baby can wear a diaper, but you can also diaper a baby, which means to put a diaper on. The word diaper comes from an Old French root, diaspre meaning "ornamental cloth." Over time it also came to mean a "towel or napkin" and by the 1830s, it had the modern sense of a cloth used to swaddle a baby's bottom.
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:
The owner of a nearby indoor playground says families who have to lug strollers and diaper bags alongside small tots typically won’t opt for the bus over a car.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
But some fussing was inevitable, and we had to make plenty of extra stops for diaper changes, bottles, or just to take a break from the carseat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
She would need to cut the umbilical cord herself and return to the hospital for care in a diaper, her fetus wrapped in towels and the cord hanging between her legs.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
"My daughter was wearing a diaper, they took it off," Amal says.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
The man I’d fallen in love with looked so fragile, lying there with the covers off, wearing a diaper.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Multiple studies link the chemicals, plastics and other ingredients often used in diapers with potential health and environmental risks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Executives at other branded-goods companies in recent months have talked up their newest concepts: silk diapers, Doritos with protein, Pepsi with fiber, Capri Sun with electrolytes and “hydrating” hot chocolate.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Kimberly-Clark KMB -1.60%decrease; down pointing triangle reported lower profit in its second quarter and revenue missed estimates, as allegations about the quality of diapers in the China market disrupted sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
At the beginning of this year, we wrapped him in diapers, since he no longer knew how to get outside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
You think maybe they’ll put you in one of those adult diapers, and then realize that maybe they already have, but you can’t tell, and don’t want to find out.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
At the center of the diapered frenzy, bouncing around on stage alongside a giant stack of inflatable rings, was Lenny Pearce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
The diapered babies racing down the baseline to mom or dad?
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2025
The relationship is both greater and more primal, and it compares with the developmental strides that play out between mother and baby, and that help to turn a diapered mess into a normal, healthy person.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 10, 2020
When traveling with a diapered child, it is necessary to have plastic bags to tightly seal the dirty diaper when disposing of it in a public place.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2015
There was Lancelot, no longer in armour but dressed in a magnificent velvet robe, scalloped and diapered.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
The other was a close friend, Stefanie Robinson, a paraprofessional who worked with students with severe disabilities, including those requiring help with feeding and diapering.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2024
Younger children require more support in diapering and self-help skills such as self-regulation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2024
“It’s going to be useful to the diapering world,” says Conz Preti, parenting and health editor at the online news site Insider.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2021
The FDA’s June 1985 risk assessment relied upon a decade-old letter from the company for the agency’s estimate of the amount of dust babies were exposed to during diapering.
From Reuters ● Dec. 3, 2019
If, now, you keep down the groundwork of your design by comparatively frequent stitches diapering it, you get a pattern in relief, more or less, according to the substance of your padding.
From Art in Needlework A Book about Embroidery by Mary Buckle
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.
