drapery
Americannoun
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draperies
plural
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coverings, hangings, clothing, etc., of fabric, especially as arranged in loose, graceful folds.
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Often draperies. long curtains, usually of heavy fabric and often designed to open and close across a window.
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the draping or arranging of hangings, clothing, etc., in graceful folds.
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Art. hangings, clothing, etc., as represented in sculpture or painting.
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cloths or textile fabrics collectively.
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British.
noun
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fabric or clothing arranged and draped
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(often plural) curtains or hangings that drape
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the occupation or shop of a draper
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fabrics and cloth collectively
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of drapery
1250–1300; Middle English draperie < Old French, equivalent to drap cloth + -erie -ery
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:
But as the Oxford Companion says of Gainsborough, “Unlike most of his contemporaries he employed no drapery painter.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
Restorations of unknown date have resulted in the exposure of under drawing in certain areas, like the drapery of Salome, and a blurring of the line distinguishing the Virgin’s pillow from the gilded ground.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
The darkness of the woods and muddy terrain was just as effective scenery as any of the bedsheet drapery or wooden flats that had been set up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025
Once the wallpaper is hung, don’t be afraid to hang decorative accessories like pictures and drapery.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2024
She hung her broom on a nearby hook and turned her attention to the drapery.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Heavy draperies hang at the windows instead of venetian blinds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
There, gleaming gypsum flowers bloom from stone draperies laced with translucent cave pearls.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2023
The silk damask draperies and sumptuous beds felt opulent and a nice flourish to the end of the byway and a way to rest up before heading back to Seattle the next day.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 19, 2023
The floral centerpieces are in place, a band is onstage, and the draperies are neatly tucked in and tied.
From New York Times ● May 12, 2023
There, what was left of the draperies lay smoking on the ground.
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
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.
