stripe
1 Americannoun
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a relatively long, narrow band of a different color, appearance, weave, material, or nature from the rest of a surface or thing.
the stripes of a zebra.
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a fabric or material containing such a band or bands.
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a strip of braid, tape, or the like.
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stripes,
-
a number or combination of such strips, worn on a military, naval, or other uniform as a badge of rank, service, good conduct, combat wounds, etc.
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Informal. status or recognition as a result of one's efforts, experience, or achievements.
She earned her stripes as a traveling sales representative and then moved up to district manager.
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a strip, or long, narrow piece of anything.
a stripe of beach.
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a streak or layer of a different nature within a substance.
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style, variety, sort, or kind.
a man of quite a different stripe.
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Also called magnetic stripe. Movies. a strip of iron oxide layer on the edge of a film that is used for recording and reproducing a magnetic sound track.
verb (used with object)
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stripes,
present (3rd person singular)
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striped,
past participle, past
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striping
present participle
noun
noun
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a relatively long band of distinctive colour or texture that differs from the surrounding material or background
-
a fabric having such bands
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a strip, band, or chevron of fabric worn on a military uniform, etc, esp one that indicates rank
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kind; sort; type
a man of a certain stripe
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
stripesimple
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stripessimple
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have stripedperfect
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has stripedperfect
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am stripingprogressive
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are stripingprogressive
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is stripingprogressive
-
have been stripingperfect progressive
-
has been stripingperfect progressive
Past
-
stripedsimple
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had stripedperfect
-
was stripingprogressive
-
were stripingprogressive
-
had been stripingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stripe1
First recorded in 1620–30; probably from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German strīpe; see also strip 2, stripe 2
Origin of stripe2
First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English; obscurely akin to stripe 1
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:
Their wings are nearly identical, with only slight variations in a gray stripe on the underside of the front wings.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2026
EBT cards are more susceptible to theft because most don't have a chip, only a magnetic stripe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Next on the tour we are shown how his famous stripe designs are created by using thread.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
That businessman, Daniel Vorcaro, forged contacts with a sprawling network of politicians of every stripe, top judges and high-ranking officials before landing in jail for one of Brazil's biggest-ever financial scandals.
From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026
The cupboards held soft towels and sheets with a ticking stripe.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
Candidates of all stripes long courted the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's support.
From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026
The image features a black falcon with rigid angles against a red background with black, white and gold stripes down the middle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
In 2013, Adidas successfully sued Pacific Brands in Australia for selling shoes with four stripes.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The company says since at least March, White Fox has been selling and advertising clothes with four parallel stripes of equal width, which it claims is an infringement of Adidas's trademark.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Yet it was as plain as the stripes in a rainbow.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Guests are welcomed by a gorgeous entrance with 10-foot ceilings, where striped wallpaper, crown molding, and large arched doorways immediately set the tone.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
During summer peaks the hives become home to about 180,000 of the striped insects.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
“A full head of hair. And maybe wearing this striped shirt that I got — if it still exists.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
At Mitsuwa Marketplace, the sprawling Japanese supermarket outside Chicago, Pastry House Hippo sells a frankfurter inside a beautiful yeasty shell, striped with ketchup.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
And hot as I was, I decided that arguing with her would be about as useful as squabbling with the striped wallpaper.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
We bought a bunch of road rental companies — all those orange barricades and cones and striping you see on the roads.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
If the lane striping isn’t perfect, though, the lane-keeping assist sometimes disables itself, so I don’t rely on it completely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025
Knitters can opt for smaller patterns that require less yarn, or use up leftover yarn through designs that allow for different yarns to be cobbled together, such as striping.
From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2025
A $4.2-million Caltrans contract approved by the state in December will allow the agency to establish speed feedback signs and speed limit markings on pavement, replace safety corridor signs and enhance striping on curves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2024
With his friend beside him he stepped confidently out the courtyard gate, into the long shadows striping the Street of the Goldsmiths.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
