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:
The mountain’s markings suggest not the drapery of clothing, but the contours of land.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 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
The large, angled handkerchief is a subtle formal echo of the drapery opening diagonally above Mariana’s head.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2024
Once the wallpaper is hung, don’t be afraid to hang decorative accessories like pictures and drapery.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2024
Folds of scarlet drapery shut in my view to the right hand; to the left were the clear panes of glass, protecting, but not separating me from the drear November day.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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
To recreate the czar’s private rooms, Ms. Ryadova’s team had to remake almost everything: pickled oak parquet floors, wool rugs and silk draperies, and even spittoons that were used by the imperial family and courtiers.
From New York Times ● Oct. 27, 2021
Lupita looked away from them to the poinsettias on the draperies as she relaxed in her chair.
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
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.
