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
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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.
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involved in; bound up with.
Peace is wrapped up in willingness to compromise.
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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
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have been wrappingperfect progressive
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has been wrappingperfect progressive
Past
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wrappedsimple
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wraptsimple
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had wrappedperfect
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had wraptperfect
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was wrappingprogressive
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were wrappingprogressive
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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:
So what happened next was almost impossible for him to wrap his head around.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
I grab a string of balloons and wrap them around Matt, spinning him in circles on the dance floor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 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
Anna had rags in her basket to wrap around our hands.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
Another is to search for galaxies that might appear in different places on opposite sides of the sky because their light has traveled through a universe that wraps around itself.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
As the third quarter wraps up, one indicator shows dividend cuts are on the rise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
With terms under wraps, it’s too early to know whether any of this will pay off for artists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
The snails are covered by a 'glutinous' mantle - a layer of translucent tissue that wraps around the shell from beneath.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Boo,” I say, my voice wavering as she wraps her arms around me.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Dobbertin, who spent years in Thailand, created her own crunchwrap featuring a tortilla wrapped around marinated chicken in a khao soi coconut curry with avocado basil ranch and crisp wheat noodles for added crunch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
On the day of the attempted attack, he walked to the west London embassy from north London wearing a red and white traditional Arabic scarf wrapped around his head and sunglasses.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Pancreatic tumors are often wrapped in dense connective tissue rich in fibroblasts.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
Major League Baseball wrapped a postseason advertisement around the front page of The Times this week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
The air was bitter cold, and I wrapped myself tighter inside the thick coat my aunts had made me.
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
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
He was too wrapt in the boy and his object to think soberly of anything else.
From Starvecrow Farm by Stanley J. Weyman
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
The reason why this African cardamum received either the name of grains of Paradise or of Meleguetta pepper is, like most African things, wrapt in mystery to a certain extent.
From West African studies by Mary Henrietta Kingsley
Cells must also be physically capable of changing shape, applying force and wrapping around dead material without compromising themselves or the surrounding tissue.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 5, 2026
Back at the tavern, the men's meeting is wrapping up.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
The physics prize will be announced on Tuesday and chemistry on Wednesday, with the economics prize wrapping up the awards week on October 13.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Biles, 29, and Owens, 31, began building their sprawling Texas residence in 2022, with construction wrapping up three years later.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Thorn’s voice was muffled in cardboard and plastic wrapping.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
