strap

[strap]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR strap ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a narrow strip of flexible material, especially leather, as for fastening or holding things together.

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.

a strop for a razor.

a long, narrow object or piece of something; strip; band.

an ornamental strip or band.

shoulder strap.

watchband.

Machinery. a shallow metal fitting surrounding and retaining other parts, as on the end of a rod.

Nautical, Machinery. strop(def 2).

verb (used with object), strapped, strap·ping.

to fasten or secure with a strap or straps.

to fasten (a thing) around something in the manner of a strap.

to sharpen on a strap or strop: to strap a razor.

to beat or flog with a strap.

Origin of strap

First recorded in 1565–75; variant of strop

Related formsstrap·pa·ble, adjectivestrap·like, adjectivere·strap, verb (used with object), re·strapped, re·strap·ping.un·der·strap, nounun·der·strap, verb (used with object), un·der·strapped, un·der·strap·ping.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for strap

leash, harness, belt, thong, band, switch, tie, whip, strop

Examples from the Web for strap

Contemporary Examples of strap

Once he hits eight, we can head on over to Bullets & Burgers, and who knows, maybe they'll let him strap on a bazooka.
9-Year Old With an Uzi? America Is Tougher on Toys Than Guns
Cliff Schecter
August 28, 2014
So, they randomly select a poor villager and strap a bucket of rats against his chest.
Game of Thrones’ 8 Most Gruesome Deaths: From The Mountain’s Exploding Head Kill to Rat Torture
Marlow Stern
June 4, 2014
Someone needs to strap a jet pack on Dr. Drew and send him up to unpack these daddy issues, ASAP.
You Can't Unsee Billy Ray Cyrus’s Pseudo Hip Hop ‘Achy Breaky 2’
Amy Zimmerman
February 12, 2014
Put on a scarf and mittens, dig out your car, get on your bike, strap on some skis, or head to the subway.
Stop Whining About Uber’s Surge Pricing
Daniel Gross
December 16, 2013
So, book those lift tickets, strap on your skis, and get ready for the ride of a lifetime.
Olympians Dish on Their Favorite Spots to Ski & Snowboard
The Daily Beast
October 26, 2013

Historical Examples of strap

I don't know why, unless because of his one suspender, and then it ought to be Strap.
Gloria and Treeless Street
Annie Hamilton Donnell
His wrist had caught in the strap handle of the trunk, and his shoulder was dislocated.
In a Steamer Chair and Other Stories
Robert Barr
“Sure,” he replied, dragging forth a bunch of metal discs on a strap.
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum
Murphy fumbled with the strap, playing desperately for time.
Old Man Curry
Charles E. (Charles Emmett) Van Loan
A groove should be cut in the surface of the eccentric, so that this strap will not slip off.
Boys' Book of Model Boats
Raymond Francis Yates

British Dictionary definitions for strap

strap

noun

a long strip of leather or similar material, for binding trunks, baggage, or other objects

a strip of leather or similar material used for carrying, lifting, or holding

a loop of leather, rubber, etc, suspended from the roof in a bus or train for standing passengers to hold on to

a razor strop

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 periodCompare strip 2 (def. 5)

Irish derogatory, slang a shameless or promiscuous woman

the strap a beating with a strap as a punishment

short for shoulder strap

hit one's straps Australian informal to achieve one's full potential or become fully effective

verb straps, strapping or strapped (tr)

to tie or bind with a strap

to beat with a strap

to sharpen with a strap or strop

Word Origin for strap

C16: variant of strop

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for strap

1610s, from Scottish and/or nautical variant of strope "loop or strap on a harness" (mid-14c.), probably from Old French estrop "strap," from Latin stroppus "strap, band," perhaps from Etruscan, ultimately from Greek strophos "twisted band," from strephein "to turn" (see strophe). Old English stropp, Dutch strop "halter" also are borrowed from Latin.

"to fasten or secure with a strap," 1711, from strap (n.). Slang adjective strapped "short of money" is from 1857, from strap (n.) in a now-obsolete sense of "financial credit" (1828). Related: Strapped; strapping.

strap in Medicine

strap

[străp]

n.

A strip or piece of adhesive plaster.

v.

To support or bind a part, especially with overlapping strips of adhesive plaster.