stripe

[strahyp]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stripe ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

a fabric or material containing such a band or bands.

a strip of braid, tape, or the like.

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.
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.

a strip, or long, narrow piece of anything: a stripe of beach.

a streak or layer of a different nature within a substance.

style, variety, sort, or kind: a man of quite a different stripe.

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), striped, strip·ing.

to mark or furnish with a stripe or stripes.

Origin of stripe

1620–30; < Middle Dutch or Middle Low German strīpe; see strip², stripe²

Related formsstripe·less, adjective

stripe

[strahyp]

noun

a stroke with a whip, rod, etc., as in punishment.

Origin of stripe

1400–50; late Middle English; obscurely akin to stripe¹

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

Related Words for stripe

ribbon, streak, division, layer, rule, decoration, band, stroke, fillet, bar, border, striation

Examples from the Web for stripe

Contemporary Examples of stripe

New moms and dads of every stripe want their kids to grow up healthy and happy and successful.
The Neuroscience of My Gay Dad/Mom Brain
Russell Saunders
May 30, 2014
There were low-slung skirts, exposed midriffs and jutting hips, column dresses, and every kind of stripe you could imagine.
Marc Jacobs' Spring Summer 2013 Show: Walk The Line
Isabel Wilkinson
September 12, 2012
They look fearsome on the surface, and, yes, I and others of my stripe complain about the Democrats a lot.
Obstinate Congressional GOP and Supreme Court Conservatives Reject Compromise
Michael Tomasky
July 3, 2012
Profiteers of every stripe were involved in the contraband cotton trade, including many army officers.
What Happened When General Grant Expelled Civil War Jews
Marc Wortman
March 22, 2012
Africa has skipped a technological generation, bypassing the landlines that stripe our Western skies for the wireless way.
The World Is Getting Better, Argues New Book, ‘Abundance’
Sam Harris
February 21, 2012

Historical Examples of stripe

You will now find the wool has descended to the wide part of the stripe.
The Ladies' Work-Table Book
Anonymous
The third stripe is the same, but, of course, the colors are different.
The Ladies' Work-Table Book
Anonymous
Stripe: a longitudinal streak of color different from the ground.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
His shirt is blue with a stripe of sunrise pink, and the collar to match.
Pipefuls
Christopher Morley
There was a suit of pyjamas of Hamilton's which had a stripe very near, but not quite.
Bones
Edgar Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for stripe

stripe

noun

a relatively long band of distinctive colour or texture that differs from the surrounding material or background

a fabric having such bands

a strip, band, or chevron of fabric worn on a military uniform, etc, esp one that indicates rank

mainly US and Canadian kind; sort; typea man of a certain stripe

verb

(tr) to mark with a stripe or stripes

Word Origin for stripe

C17: probably from Middle Dutch strīpe; related to Middle High German strīfe, of obscure origin

stripe

noun

a stroke from a whip, rod, cane, etc

Word Origin for stripe

C15: perhaps from Middle Low German strippe; related to stripe 1

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 stripe

n.1

"a line or band in cloth," 1620s (but probably much older), from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German stripe "stripe, streak," from Proto-Germanic *stripanan (cf. Danish stribe "a striped fabric," German Streifen "stripe"), cognate with Old Irish sriab "stripe," from PIE root *streig- (see strigil). Of soldiers' chevrons, badges, etc., attested from 1827.

n.2

"a stroke or lash," mid-15c., probably a special use of stripe (n.1), from the marks left by a lash. Cf. also Dutch strippen "to whip," West Frisian strips, apparently cognate but not attested as early as the English word.