- present participle of strap.
strapping
1 Americanadjective
-
powerfully built; robust.
-
large; whopping.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of strapping1
First recorded in 1650–60; strap + -ing 2
Origin of strapping2
Explanation
When someone is strapping, they're strikingly strong looking. Why don't you ask those strapping friends of yours to help you carry that piano up the stairs? The adjective strapping usually describe someone who appears to be young, muscular, and robust. When it was first used in the 17th century, it almost always referred to a tall, sturdy woman. Today, it's more often used for young men. Strapping is part of an odd category of adjectives meaning "large" which are formed from violent verbs — to strap is to "beat with a strap." Others are whopping and spanking.
Vocabulary lists containing strapping
Vigorous Vocab: Synonyms for "Strong"
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The Odyssey
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The Fault in Our Stars
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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.
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
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
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
Bandages spun up Ron’s leg, strapping it tightly to a splint.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
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.
