strap
Americannoun
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straps
plural
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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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straps,
present (3rd person singular)
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strapped,
past participle, past
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strapping
present participle
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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:
Elsewhere on Saturday, French luxury house Hermes presented its women's collection in the courtyard of the elite Republican Guard police unit in Paris, making the zip its leitmotif and the ultra-fine strap an accessory.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
When her eldest started walking, she says "we always held hands, but had a wrist strap connecting us in case she tried to run off".
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
On a run, the band took 30 seconds to catch the right pulse, but matched the chest strap closely over the next half-hour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
We alternated between mat and barre work, using light weights and an exercise strap and ball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
His Minolta SLR hung from a strap around his neck.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
Many marmot problems appear to revolve around their appetite for salt, which they find on sweat-stained hiking poles and backpack straps as well as radiator fluid, said Blumstein, an ecology and evolutionary biology professor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
As ever, Zendaya stole the show with a floor-length Tamara Ralph champagne silk crepe gown with spider webby straps, matching the white carpet in Leicester Square.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Others stayed put, waiting days more to get their hands on the product, while independent watch connoisseurs started working furiously to make straps that can turn the pocket watch into a more traditional wristpiece.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 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
Pushed up against the back wall was a wooden chest fastened shut with three heavy leather straps.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
The CrossWave’s trap is easily accessed through a hatch in the aft deck—or, it would have been, but for the large icebox strapped to the tubular mounting bracket.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
But the trainee GP, who works in the West Midlands, says he was "really cash strapped" and decided to stop putting money aside for around "six to 12 months".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
The sound design of “Voices” is raw and the rumored $50,000 budget so strapped that minor period piece inconsistencies like cheap plastic trash cans sneak into the frame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Neeleman also vocally refutes the idea of being a tradwife while, for example, showcasing the joys of making homemade cheese while an infant is strapped to her.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
He strapped on his belt of power, Megingjord, which doubled his enormous strength.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
Groups of friends are still singing the words to their favorite Soulja Boy songs and parents are strapping their antsy toddlers into strollers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
And even though strapping on a fitness tracker already means accepting—and trusting—a company’s health rules, Tanwar wants full control over his own data to the extent possible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
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
The 2021 US Open champion returned to the court on Saturday to test her fitness and, wearing strapping around her lower right leg, started with a gentle hour-long session with her team.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Aeronautics’ evolution from a wobbly infancy to a strapping adolescence gave rise to the professions of aeronautical engineer and test pilot.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
