wrapper

American  

[rap-er] / ˈræp ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that wraps.

2. a covering or cover.

3. a long, loose outer garment.

4. a loose bathrobe; negligee.

5. British. book jacket.

6. the tobacco leaf used for covering a cigar.

7. Armor. a supplementary beaver reinforcing the chin and mouth area of an armet of the 15th century.

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wrapper British  

/ ˈræpə /

noun

1. the cover, usually of paper or cellophane, in which something is wrapped

2. a dust jacket of a book

3. the ripe firm tobacco leaf forming the outermost portion of a cigar and wound around its body

4. a loose negligee or dressing gown, esp in the 19th century

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Etymology

Origin of wrapper

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; wrap, -er ¹

Explanation

A wrapper is any kind of loose cover that encloses something that's for sale. The brightly colored paper that covers your candy bar is a wrapper. If you wrap something in foil or plastic to sell it, you've made a wrapper. Many wrappers are factory-made and sealed, like the wrapper on your ice cream bar, while others protect your fast-food burger or deli sandwich. In some places, people call a dressing gown or robe a wrapper too. No matter how you use the word, a wrapper wraps something. Its earliest use, in the 15th century, was as "a piece of fine cloth used to wrap bread."

Example Sentences

He bent down, picked up a straw wrapper and disposed of it in the nearest trash can, then kept walking.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

It was a mystery solved through research, hard work - and a chocolate wrapper more than 40 years old.

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025

While lonvo-z uses the same lipid nanoparticle wrapper as nex-z, it targets a different gene.

From Barron's • Nov. 7, 2025

However, a series of property management and compliance issues soon emerged, showing that tokenization can change the wrapper, but it can’t fix the off-chain realities of property management and landlord responsibilities.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 15, 2025

The wrapper ballooned up, then just slid off.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Related Words

• casing
• envelope