strap
Americannoun
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a narrow strip of flexible material, especially leather, as for fastening or holding things together.
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a looped band by which an item may be held, pulled, lifted, etc., as a bootstrap or a ring that standing passengers may hold on to in a bus, subway, or the like.
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a strop for a razor.
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a long, narrow object or piece of something; strip; band.
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an ornamental strip or band.
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Machinery. a shallow metal fitting surrounding and retaining other parts, as on the end of a rod.
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Nautical, Machinery. strop.
verb (used with object)
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to fasten or secure with a strap or straps.
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to fasten (a thing) around something in the manner of a strap.
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to sharpen on a strap or strop.
to strap a razor.
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to beat or flog with a strap.
noun
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a long strip of leather or similar material, for binding trunks, baggage, or other objects
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a strip of leather or similar material used for carrying, lifting, or holding
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a loop of leather, rubber, etc, suspended from the roof in a bus or train for standing passengers to hold on to
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a razor strop
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commerce a triple option on a security or commodity consisting of one put option and two call options at the same price and for the same period Compare strip 2
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derogatory a shameless or promiscuous woman
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a beating with a strap as a punishment
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short for shoulder strap
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informal to achieve one's full potential or become fully effective
verb
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to tie or bind with a strap
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to beat with a strap
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to sharpen with a strap or strop
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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understrapnoun
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restrapverb (used with object)
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understrapverb (used with object)
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straplikeadjective
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strappableadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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strapsimple
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strapssimple
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have strappedperfect
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has strappedperfect
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am strappingprogressive
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are strappingprogressive
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is strappingprogressive
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have been strappingperfect progressive
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has been strappingperfect progressive
Past
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strappedsimple
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had strappedperfect
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was strappingprogressive
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were strappingprogressive
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had been strappingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of strap
First recorded in 1565–75; variant of strop
Explanation
A strip of material used to hold something in place is a strap, like your bathing suit's shoulder straps, the strap on your book bag, or the strap of your seatbelt. As a verb, strap means "to secure with straps": "Let me strap my backpack on before I climb on your motorcycle." Standing passengers on buses and subways are sometimes called straphangers, named for the habit of grabbing the leather or webbed straps that once commonly hung from above. Some modes of transportation still have these straps, though they've increasingly been replaced with poles and handles.
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:
My wayward wrist was so prone to ruining my cast, I was given a wrist lock—a leather strap that restrained it in place—in order to fix it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
“We’re asking airmen to strap into jets that their grandfathers, fathers and now they are flying, and it is time for a reset,” said Doug Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
“Ragin’ ” Al, a low-ranked fighter known for decent grappling and heavy hitting, had no business fighting for the lightweight strap.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
Besides, there are few better indicators that the previously taboo has gone mainstream than when TV picks up the strap.
From Salon ● May 4, 2026
Alsvindr gnawed on his bit impatiently, and Anya said, “Hang on,” as she pulled her bracer from where it was fastened to her quiver strap.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Called the Virtus Scalable Tactical Vest, the body armour system has adjustable straps and smaller flat plates.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
General contractor Enrique Valdez of Azteca 111 Builder Inc. was tasked with cutting the ratchet straps securing Pinky, seemingly putting an end to the bird’s reign.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
He told the hearing: "He would have jumped out on arrival and taken off the straps he didn't need... and left a few straps on to drive from gate to the yard."
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
Sargent later repainted Gautreau with both straps fixed to her shoulders — a needless compromise between the artist and those who wielded the power to dictate beauty.
From Salon ● May 6, 2026
Only the 20-lb molcajete, which is secured with straps on the food-prep counter, shows any signs of use; fine particles of corn are embedded between the basalt grain in the molcajete’s bowl.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
And once he strapped on the gloves officially, his parents couldn’t convince him to leave the net.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
That 22-minute drive is great because they’re strapped in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Raducanu had her left thigh strapped after slipping on the grass while changing direction in the fifth game of the second set of her quarter-final.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Related: ‘I feel like I’m living a lie’: My husband and I pretend we’re strapped for cash in front of friends.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
We’d toured historic launch sites and working spaceflight facilities, strapped in for an eight-and-a-half-minute simulated space shuttle ascent into orbit, and met astronaut Fred Gregory.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
That’s why scientists in Arizona are strapping volunteers into harnesses and lowering them onto wet floors: to find what kinds of surfaces are safest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
“If they had let us in sooner, we could have really helped save lives,” said Michael Saavedra, a strapping 6-foot-5-inch Miami Beach firefighter who is the team’s director.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Rice, meanwhile, who left Boston Stadium on Tuesday with strapping on his left calf, was also absent from Thursday's session at England's training base in Kansas City.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Wearing a small patch of strapping for the semi-final, any concerns that the slip might cause her problems were soon allayed as Raducanu made a superb start by holding to love.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
By the time it was told Arthur was kneeling at his feet, strapping on the greaves.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
