What does "stripe" mean?
A long region of a single colour in a repeating pattern of similar regions.
Stripe
/stɹaɪp/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A long region of a single colour in a repeating pattern of similar regions.
- Grammar: stripe is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: band, streak, animus, aptitude.
- Useful contrasts: erase, no insignia, solid color.
- Usage evidence: Life is like a zebra; white stripe, black stripe, and the ass at the end.
How to use "stripe"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stripe" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "stripe" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "stripe" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stripe" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "stripe" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "band" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "stripe", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A long region of a single colour in a repeating pattern of similar regions.
"zebra stripes"
- 2 an adornment consisting of a strip of a contrasting color or material wordnet
- 3 A long, relatively straight region against a different coloured background.
"8 Sep 2019, Peter Conrad in The Guardian, Sontag: Her Life by Benjamin Moser review – heavyweight study of a critical colossus At first, what mattered was the sparky contents of Sontag’s head; by the end she was best known for the way she wore her hair – that saturnine battle helmet of dyed black, with a single stripe left white at the temple like a Frankensteinian lightning bolt of intellect."
- 4 a narrow marking of a different color or texture from the background wordnet
- 5 The badge worn by certain officers in the military or other forces. in-plural
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 a kind or category wordnet
- 7 Distinguishing characteristic; sign; likeness; sort. informal
"persons of the same political stripe"
- 8 V-shaped sleeve badge indicating military rank and service wordnet
- 9 A long, narrow mark left by striking someone with a whip or stick; a blow or lash with a whip, stick, or scourge.
"Thou most lying slave, Whom stripes may move, not kindness!"
- 10 a piece of braid, usually on the sleeve, indicating military rank or length of service wordnet
- 11 A slash cut into the flesh as a punishment.
"But if there were any one who tried and could not make her laugh, he would have three red stripes cut out of his back and salt rubbed into them and, sad to relate, there were many sore backs in that kingdom."
- 12 A pattern produced by arranging the warp threads in sets of alternating colours, or in sets presenting some other contrast of appearance.
- 13 Any of the balls marked with stripes in the game of pool, which one player aims to pot, the other player taking the spots.
- 14 A portion of data distributed across several separate physical disks for the sake of redundancy.
- 15 The start/finish line. slang
Verb
- 1 To mark with stripes. transitive
- 2 mark with stripes wordnet
- 3 To lash with a whip or strap. transitive
"I did try to ask questions and talk to Nanny but different things but that was considered "Talking back" or sassing which resulted in the striping of the legs or mashing of one's mouth, and then being put in the dark closet until the crying stopped."
- 4 To distribute data across several separate physical disks to reduce the time to read and write. transitive
Antonyms
Example
"Life is like a zebra; white stripe, black stripe, and the ass at the end."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stripe"?
Common synonyms include: band, streak, animus, aptitude, aviation badge, badge.
How do you use "stripe" in a sentence?
Life is like a zebra; white stripe, black stripe, and the ass at the end.
How do you pronounce "stripe"?
Pronounced /stɹaɪp/.
Etymology
From Middle English stripe, strype, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German strîpe, from Proto-West Germanic *strīpā, *strīpō, from Proto-Germanic *strīpô. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Striepe (“stripe, strip”), West Frisian stripe (“stripe”), Dutch streep (“stripe”), German Low German Striepe, Striep, Streep (“stripe”), German Streifen (“stripe, strip, band”), Danish stribe (“stripe”).