drapery
Americannoun
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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
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.
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
The gleaming surface of the projecting figure and a background of sleeping soldiers, angels, drapery and clouds embody the inexplicable moment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025
After dropping out of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, she moved to Malibu and started a company called Kurtain Kraft, which created a product that used wire hangers and fabric to create window drapery.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2024
Opie’s backdrop is a damask drapery in dark green, red’s vivifying complementary color.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2024
She hung her broom on a nearby hook and turned her attention to the drapery.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
