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)
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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,
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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:
"It's a timescale that's hard to wrap your head around."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
Brook was run out for 33, leaving Buttler to wrap it up with a six that left him unbeaten on 61.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Plenty of bad ones wrap up neatly too.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
The “Bad Romance” singer and 16-time Grammy winner was seen wearing a large ring and holding the child, supported by a baby wrap, tightly to her chest, according to photos published by the outlet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
The Wicked Queen glanced at Rapunzel for an instant, and suddenly every hair on the woman’s head began to wrap itself around her body.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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
Much of McDonald’s plans to capture more consumer spending focus on chicken — including new flavors of Chicken McNuggets, new chicken sandwiches, wings and wraps, and hand-breaded chicken.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
The fact that it was kept under wraps —
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
He then continues on to South America and wraps up in Mexico in December.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Mom screams, and wraps me in a hug.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Treasury market wrapped up its worst quarter in years, the Bloomberg U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Everything gets wrapped up via a woefully earnest speech that explains the movie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
When the session wrapped up, Finn took the recordings home and planned to work on it, but "they were never fully realised".
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
After the rally wrapped up, some activists set up a protest camp in city centre's Plaze de Sol square, the union said in a statement, urging people to gather there.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
In my hand I felt a small knobby something wrapped in 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
Just before the conclusion of the play, the scenery caught fire, and in a few minutes the whole building was wrapt in flames.
From Historic Shrines of America Being the Story of One Hundred and Twenty Historic Buildings and the Pioneers Who Made Them Notable by John T. (John Thomson) Faris
It broke out in the shipping in the harbour, and was supposed to have been brought ashore in a blanket, which had been wrapt round a person who had fallen a victim to it.
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
It was wrapt in skins, and placed in the ground in the same position it once occupied in the mother’s womb.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 7 "Horticulture" to "Hudson Bay" by Various
He begins with Childhood—mind wrapt up in itself.
From Hegel's Philosophy of Mind by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
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
However, he had no such issues against former world number 20 Machac, wrapping up a 6-2 6-3 6-2 victory in just over 90 minutes to register his first win at a Grand Slam.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
AI model developer Moonshot AI is wrapping up a fundraising round that values the company at around $50 billion ahead of a potential IPO in Hong Kong, people familiar with the matter said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
On Tuesday morning, dozens queued up, sometimes wrapping around the shop’s interior.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Mae asked, wrapping her shawl around her shoulders.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
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.
