wrap
Americanverb (used with object)
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wraps,
present (3rd person singular)
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wrapped,
past participle, past
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wrapt,
past participle, past
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wrapping
present participle
-
to enclose in something wound or folded about (often followed byup ).
She wrapped her head in a scarf.
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to enclose and make fast (an article, bundle, etc.) within a covering of paper or the like (often followed byup ).
He wrapped the package up in brown paper.
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to wind, fold, or bind (something) about as a covering.
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to protect with coverings, outer garments, etc. (usually followed byup ).
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to cover (fingernails) with a sheer silk or linen fabric, as to repair or strengthen them.
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to surround, envelop, shroud, or hide.
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to fold or roll up.
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Movies, Television. to finish the filming of (a motion picture).
verb (used without object)
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wraps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wrapped,
past participle, past
-
wrapt,
past participle, past
-
wrapping
present participle
-
to wrap oneself (usually followed byup ).
-
to become wrapped, enclosed, packaged, or folded (usually followed byup ).
This hat wraps up into a pocket-size square—perfect for hiking and camping.
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Movies, Television. to complete the filming of a motion picture.
We hope to wrap in time for Christmas.
noun
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wraps
plural
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something to be wrapped about the person, especially in addition to the usual indoor clothing, such as a shawl.
an evening wrap.
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a beauty treatment in which a part or all of the body is covered with cream, lotion, herbs, or the like and then wrapped snugly with cloth.
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a sheer silk or linen fabric glued to the fingernails to repair or strengthen them.
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a flatbread wrapped around a filling and eaten as a sandwich.
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Movies, Television.
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the completion of photography on a film or an individual scene.
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the termination of a working day during the shooting of a film.
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adjective
verb phrase
idioms
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wrapped up in,
-
intensely absorbed in.
wrapped up in one's work.
-
involved in; bound up with.
Peace is wrapped up in willingness to compromise.
-
-
under wraps, secret.
The army wants this research project kept under wraps.
verb
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to fold or wind (paper, cloth, etc) around (a person or thing) so as to cover
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(often foll by up) to fold paper, etc, around to fasten securely
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to surround or conceal by surrounding
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to enclose, immerse, or absorb
wrapped in sorrow
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to fold, wind, or roll up
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(intr; often foll by about, around, etc) to be or become wound or extended
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to complete the filming of (a motion picture or television programme)
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Also called: rap. informal (often foll by up) to praise (someone)
noun
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a garment worn wrapped around the body, esp the shoulders, such as a shawl or cloak
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short for wrapround
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a type of sandwich consisting of a tortilla wrapped round a filling
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wrapping or a wrapper
-
slang a small package of an illegal drug in powder form
a wrap of heroin
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Also called: rap. informal a commendation
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-
the end of a working day during the filming of a motion picture or television programme
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the completion of filming of a motion picture or television programme
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to keep secret
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to reveal
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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prewrapnoun
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underwrapnoun
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rewrapverb
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prewrapverb (used with object)
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underwrapverb (used with object)
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interwrapverb (used without object)
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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wrapsimple
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wrapssimple
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have wrappedperfect
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have wraptperfect
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has wrappedperfect
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has wraptperfect
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am wrappingprogressive
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are wrappingprogressive
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is wrappingprogressive
-
have been wrappingperfect progressive
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has been wrappingperfect progressive
Past
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wrappedsimple
-
wraptsimple
-
had wrappedperfect
-
had wraptperfect
-
was wrappingprogressive
-
were wrappingprogressive
-
had been wrappingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wrap
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English wrappen, of obscure origin; compare dialectal Danish vravle to wind
Explanation
To wrap something is to enclose it, like when you wrap holiday presents in glittery paper. When you're done with the presents, you can wrap yourself in a cozy blanket while you drink hot chocolate. Wrap also has a number of noun meanings. There's the wrap you wear, which is similar to a cloak or a shawl. There's also the plastic wrap you use to cover a bowl of leftovers, and the wrap you make when you fold a tortilla around sandwich fillings. The verb wrap came first, from a root meaning "to turn or wind." To wrap something up also means to end it, so let's wrap up this blurb by saying, "That's a wrap!" — it's what movie directors since the 1920s have been saying when filming is finished.
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:
Then I immediately go home and slice them in half and wrap them in cling wrap and put them in an airtight Ziploc baggie and throw them in the freezer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
The new wraps slowed lines down because some workers struggled to roll them quickly, so now one person is assigned to wrap assembly during peak hours, primarily at busy locations, McConnell said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Application fees will also rise 20-fold from Thursday and at one immigration office in central Tokyo visited by AFP this week hundreds of people queued, hoping to wrap up procedures before the price spike.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
You may already have hung thicker curtains and blocked the draughts over the last couple of winters, but do not forget to switch off radiators in rooms you are not using and wrap up.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
There are cartons of varying sizes and a large roll of foam wrap.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
This was kept under wraps while a fix was developed.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
But details surrounding one important aspect of the artificial-intelligence company remain largely under wraps: the opaque trust empowered to shape its board and block major moves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
The chain launched four below-$15 wraps in all its locations in May, in part to help address its standing as a place with $20 lunches.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
While story details have remained under wraps, “The Batman Part II” is expected to take place after the events of the 2024 HBO series “The Penguin,” which was set after “The Batman.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Jack wraps an arm around me, hugging me to his side.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
At their first event, the line wrapped around the block.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
He hit him with a behind-the-back pass wrapped around Draymond Green.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
The allegation this week that an OpenAI engineer from Saudi Arabia wrapped a tiny mic in toilet paper and hid it in a company conference room has suddenly raised the specter of Silicon Valley spies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
Von Foerster and his co-authors’ article gained attention because it was an ordinary scientific article wrapped in an extraordinary title and conclusion.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
With trembling hands I dropped my few belongings into it, the blue sweater, the pajamas—covered now back and front with embroidered figures —toothbrush, comb, a few remaining crackers wrapped in toilet paper.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
While inland China was wrapt in its customary slumber, the coast provinces, from Kwangtung to Chihli, effervesced in a variety of bubbles.
From Time Magazine Archive
The box was wrapt in white writing paper, which was gummed over it.
From There is no Death by Florence Marryatt
But Arthur, wrapt in his own thoughts, barely noticed these things.
From Ovington's Bank by Stanley J. Weyman
In other circumstances, as black darkness wrapt him round, Jack might have felt not a few tremors; from Samba he had learnt something of the perils of night in densely-wooded places.
From Samba A Story of the Rubber Slaves of the Congo by Herbert Strang
His trivialities were reading and penmanship, and he was so wrapt up in them that often he could hardly be got away to his meals.
From The Cloister and the Hearth A Tale of the Middle Ages by Charles Reade
Fifield was wrapping up a high-profile prosecution of a retired Navy admiral who traded a government contract for a future job.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
The Eagles should have run a little more clock down, but wrapping this baby up should have been easy, right?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Heaton: After wrapping the final season, I wanted to do “Industry,” which felt extremely different to me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Biles, 29, and Owens, 31, began building their sprawling Texas residence in 2022, with construction wrapping three years later.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
We burn the paper in a screened enclosure and it is fairly efficient, but it’s impossible to get all the food particles off wrapping paper, so when it’s burned the food particles burn with it.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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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.
