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:
“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
The Arsenal midfielder was notably pink in pre-tournament snaps, with fans on social media poking fun at his beetroot-red face and watch strap tan line.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
He used a harness and a strap to connect himself to a beam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Laurence untied the strap and Bat took off the apron.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
Ranvia had back pain, her bra straps would dig into her, and exercise was difficult.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Looking at photos in court, his father, Paul Willis, said he thought some straps holding the cab on his son's vehicle had come off "of their own accord".
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
The rocket straps three Falcon 9 rocket cores together and has 27 liftoff engines, compared with nine for the smaller rocket.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
On knees still shaking from the cow episode, I knelt by the trunk and ran my finger over the leather straps.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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
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
She, too, has been paid to have a phone strapped to her forehead.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
Though he was strapped in tightly by various belts across his torso and lap, the young jackalope still shut his eyes and wailed as the plane shook and rattled during a small thunderstorm.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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
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
Rice, 27, limped out of the Boston Stadium after England's goalless draw against Ghana on Tuesday with heavy strapping on his left calf.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
“The first full day! And up to now you thought yourself a strapping country farm girl who could do anything, didn’t you?”
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
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.
