strip

1 of 2

verb

ˈstrip 

stripped ˈstript  also stript; stripping; strips

transitive verb

1

a

: to remove clothing, covering, or surface matter from

b

: to deprive of possessions

c

: to divest of honors, privileges, or functions

2

a

: to remove extraneous or superficial matter from

a prose style stripped to the bones

b

: to remove furniture, equipment, or accessories from

strip a ship for action

3

: to make bare or clear (as by cutting or grazing)

4

: to finish a milking of by pressing the last available milk from the teats

strip a cow

5

a

: to remove cured leaves from the stalks of (tobacco)

b

: to remove the midrib from (tobacco leaves)

6

: to tear or damage the thread of (a separable part or fitting)

7

: to separate (components) from a mixture or solution

8

: to press eggs or milt out of (a fish)

9

: to remove (a subcutaneous vein) by means of a surgical instrument

intransitive verb

1

a

: to take off clothes

… anxious to find the young man who stripped down to his boxer shorts and jumped in the river to save her dog.

—Mike Byrne

b

: to remove one's clothes gradually piece by piece in a seductive or provocative manner especially to the accompaniment of music : to perform a striptease

2

: peel sense 1

strippable

ˈstri-pə-bəl 

adjective

strip

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a long narrow piece of a material

b

: a long narrow area of land or water

2

: airstrip

3

: a commercially developed area especially along a highway

4

: comic strip

5

: striptease

Synonyms

Verb

• disrobe
• unclothe
• undress

Noun

• list
• ribbon
• slip

Examples of strip in a Sentence

Verb

He stripped himself down to his underwear.

The prisoners were stripped naked.

She gets paid to dance and strip at the club.

They stripped the table and refinished it.

They stripped the room when they left.

The building had been completely stripped of its original woodwork.

Noun

a small strip of cloth

the half-mile strip of road

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Popular on Variety In Lloyd’s production—which strips the show (and Scherzinger) of any comfort, forcing its audience to spend two hours in the emptiness and terror of Desmond’s descent—there is no room for sentimentality. —Michael Appler, Variety, 21 Oct. 2024

Wispy hybrids, classic sets, 35mm minks, and more, lash extensions provided a semi-permanent alternative to strip lashes and mascara. —Cierra Black, Essence, 21 Oct. 2024

Noun

Floating Shelf West Elm Volume Floating Shelf $139 West Elm Looking to fill an awkward strip of space? —Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 18 Oct. 2024

Dawn Kenney, Wacoal’s National Fit Expert, recommends looking for a style that has a thick band that isn’t going to collapse, meaning it should be made of thicker materials like spandex or elastic, or have a nonslip silicone strip. —Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English strepen, strippen, from Old English -strīepan; akin to Old High German stroufen to strip

Noun

probably alteration of stripe entry 3

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing strip

• away strip
• comic strip
• do a strip
• drag strip
• landing strip
• Möbius strip
• median strip
• power strip
• rumble strip
• strip away
• strip cartoon
• strip-chart recorder
• strip club
• strip cropping
• strip joint
• strip lighting
• strip mall
• strip mine
• strip naked
• strip poker
• strip search
• strip the/one's bed
• strip to the waist
• tear (someone) off a strip
• weather strip

Kids Definition

strip

1 of 2 verb

ˈstrip 

stripped ˈstript  also stript; stripping

1

a

: to remove clothing, covering, or surface substance from

b

: undress

stripped and showered

c

: plunder entry 1, spoil

troops stripped the town after capturing it

d

: to take away all duties, honors, or special rights

2

a

: to remove a layer that covers : skin, peel

strip bark from a tree

b

: to remove unimportant material from

c

: to remove furniture, equipment, or accessories from

3

: to make bare or clear (as by cutting or grazing)

4

: to tear or damage the screw thread of (as a bolt or nut)

stripper noun

strip

2 of 2 noun

1

: a long narrow piece or area

strips of bacon

a strip of land

2

: airstrip

Medical Definition

strip

transitive verb

ˈstrip 

stripped ˈstript  ; stripping

: to remove (a vein) by means of a stripper

stripping a varicose saphenous vein

Legal Definition

strip

1 of 3 transitive verb

stripped; stripping

: to divide (a debt security) into separately traded securities entitling the owner usually to either principal or interest alone from the obligation

strip

2 of 3 noun

: a security traded separately from another after stripping

specifically : a derivative mortgage-backed security created by the segregation of cash flow from the underlying mortgages or other mortgage-backed securities and entitling the investor to a specified percentage (as 100 percent) of the interest or principal paid

STRIP

3 of 3 noun

plural STRIPs

: a Treasury security that entitles the investor usually to payment of interest or principal exclusively and that is registered in a Federal Reserve bank under a federal program that provides for such separate trading of the components of U.S. Treasury obligations compare zero-coupon bond at bond sense 2

Etymology

Noun

separate trading of registered interest and principal of securities