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
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wrapt,
past participle, past
-
wrapping
present participle
-
to wrap oneself (usually followed byup ).
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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
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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
-
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:
The movie, out in select US theaters, begins in 1932 in Granada, amidst the tensions that ultimately led to the Spanish Civil War before winding through history to wrap up in 2017 in modern-day Madrid.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
Although she failed to serve out the match at 5-2, she broke her opponent to love to wrap up the win.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
And regardless of the metaphorical or philosophical cloak it may eventually wrap itself in, the show’s main function is to bridge one chapter of this franchise to the next.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
Created by Terry Matalas, “VisionQuest” is set to wrap up the story set into motion by the 2021 series “WandaVision.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
I wrap the jade sash around my waist as we amble toward Samarkand.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
The Paragard uses a plastic, T-shaped frame; copper wraps around the stem and arms.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026
When the building wraps around the shuttle itself it reads as a gleaming, cone-shaped beacon, visible from far away; tracing the shuttle’s dimensions and anchoring the museum in Expo Park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Along with hand-breaded chicken, the menu overhaul includes new flavors of Chicken McNuggets, as well as new wings, wraps and other sandwiches.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
In 2026, one can’t bring Amanda Seyfried, star of “The Dropout,” into the process of a Fielder-led documentary, show it to the public and expect that Seyfried’s presence will stay under wraps.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
And Byrd wraps herself up in her own arms, wraps her words up inside her, too.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
ASEAN's special Myanmar envoy, Philippines Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro, wrapped up a two-day visit to the nation Thursday, with no sign of meeting detained democratic ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Skiing in your later decades is a gift that comes wrapped with risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
All this is wrapped up in one great line: “It’s not the same without growing old together. Without that, love is just heartbreak.”
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026
Doncic wrapped his former teammate in a hug.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
She drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around her shins and rocked back and forth, in rhythm to my spinning.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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
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
Oh! gracious Power! for thy beloved approach The expecting earth lay wrapt in kindling smiles, Struggling with tears, and often overcome.
From The Isle of Palms and Other Poems by John Lyde Wilson
Jeremiah, a magnificent figure, sits with elbow on knee, and head on hand, wrapt in the meditation appropriate to one called to utter lamentation and woe.
From Walks in Rome by Augustus J. C. Hare
Philosophy to him, however, is no gloomy subject; no solemn stalking about wrapt up in his own stately ideas, and scorning, with cynic’s eye, any harmless mirth.
From Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume I (of 2) A full account of the colony and its inhabitants from the time of the Caribs to the present day by Anonymous
The wasps had made their home on the shelves of the Ormesby St Michael office, wrapping around binders and other items.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
When Yankovic spoke to us, he was wrapping up his Bigger & Weirder tour, which spanned two years and included 165 concerts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
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
Great waves of warmth, as from a fire blazing in a cozy hearth, flow from the stage in the musical “Buena Vista Social Club,” wrapping the audience in a cocoon of musical bliss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Then she surprised me by wrapping her arms around Audrey and me and squeezing.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
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