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:
For many young riders, Scheafer said, it just takes a brief encounter with police to strap on the missing helmet, or share the path more safely with pedestrians and other bicyclists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
To my surprise, the electric backpack leaf blower I strap on is not much heavier than my normal rucksack.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
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
“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
When he pulled the strap to realign it on his back, I shouldered my own.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
Called the Virtus Scalable Tactical Vest, the body armour system has adjustable straps and smaller flat plates.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Ranvia had back pain, her bra straps would dig into her, and exercise was difficult.
From BBC ● May 22, 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
May our children help us, from The World to Come, to pull up the straps of our backpacks and make them less heavy on our weary frames.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
“Ahem,” the salty woman says again, nudging one of my backpack straps with the pointed toe of her red patent high heel.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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
More from Beth Pinsker: I’m locked into a 10-year annuity and now I’m strapped for cash.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Early Iranian drones, including some tested during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, were used for reconnaissance and air support, with antitank rockets strapped under the wings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Sitting in line with the gear strapped to their backs for the training exercise, many know they are unlikely to ever do one in a real warzone.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
At a secret training base in a forest near Moscow, twenty young pilots competed for the honor of being strapped to the top of a rocket.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
I certainly haven’t noticed that modern television is overflowing with strapping, brawny men, some sporting magnificent beards or manly manes on their heads, atop bodies as smooth as Barbie dolls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
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
“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
Declan Rice, who left Boston Stadium after the Ghana draw with strapping on his left calf, was also absent from Thursday's session at England's training base in Kansas City.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
I seal up the huge cardboard box as securely as I can with strapping tape.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
