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)
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wrapped,
past participle, past
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wrapt,
past participle, past
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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,
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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:
For now, the company is looking to wrap the needs of GLP-1 users into the general preferences of the growing number of health-conscious consumers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Hours later, Seoul's military said the drills would wrap up on Friday, not on August 27 as originally planned.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
An acrylic DVF wrap dress might have been priced around $84 in 1975, per the Vintage Fashion Guild.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
I realize that’s a heavy way to wrap up the week, so let’s shift gears.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
She’s managed to wrap herself in red, white, and blue streamers like a patriotic mummy.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
In Australia, these rules are so strict that discussion with outsiders is forbidden even after a trial wraps up.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
"To be honest, it's amazing that they can keep things under wraps as well as they do," says Vermeij.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Guests are responding to wraps, restaurant execution is improving, and transactions strengthened throughout the quarter.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Still, the streaming giant seems to be focusing mainly on the edges of production -- from visualizing a concept early on to color-grading footage after filming wraps.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
By the late 1930s, both Elizebeth and William were keeping their working lives under wraps, but they still led a lively social life.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
It’s all part of SeaWorld San Diego’s Summer Spectacular, an annual concert series that just wrapped up at the park’s Bayside Amphitheater.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The Santos deal was wrapped up within a week.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is pressing for the case to be wrapped up before the regular season begins in October.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
One trend centered on the “chamoy pickle”—a hollowed-out jumbo dill pickle typically filled with spicy chips or sour candy, coated with the Mexican condiment chamoy and wrapped in a Fruit Roll-Up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
After the jaws of the trap had been wrapped, Grandpa unwound the wire from the spring and released it.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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
You should know," she quietly observed, looking up from her book with a serious wrapt expression which seemed as if reflected from beyond the gates, "that the world and I have parted company.
From The Maid of Honour, Volume 2 (of 3) A Tale of the Dark Days of France by Lewis Wingfield
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
His boy ill, little Bertie, in whose life her very soul had seemed wrapt? and she could stand and speak of it so coldly, so calmly as this?
From It May Be True, Vol. III (of III) by Mrs. Henry Wood
This original and daring cruise was no sooner decided upon than he turned his prow southward, and was soon wrapt in the storms that sweep Cape Horn.
From The Second War with England, Vol. 2 of 2 by Joel Tyler Headley
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap through an endorsement deal for Kawhi Leonard is wrapping up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
UPS is wrapping up years-long restructuring in which the company has cut costs, phased out roughly half its Amazon business, and cut tens of thousands of delivery-driver and warehouse-worker roles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
This can lead to severely painful episodes, which experts say can sometimes be prevented by wrapping up warm and drinking plenty of fluid, and daily antibiotics can reduce risk of infections.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
"Everybody is still wrapping their head around it," said Mike Mosallam, COO of production company Shadowbox Studios, in an interview with Variety as recently 2025.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Without waiting for a response, Jack quickly followed his own advice, wrapping stray shoots around his arms and kicking his legs through some other loops.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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.
