strip
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to remove the outer layer or covering from something.
v.to remove a surface layer, coating, or covering from an object.
Simple“You need to strip the old paint off the door before you paint it again.”
In context“The restoration team had to carefully strip several layers of varnish to reveal the original mahogany grain underneath.”
- 02 A2 Elementary
v.to take off your clothes.
v.to remove one's clothing; can be used transitively or intransitively.
Simple“The children stripped and jumped into the lake to cool off.”
In context“After a long day in the laboratory, he stripped off his protective gear and headed for the showers.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to take away someone's power, rights, or titles as a punishment.
v.to divest someone of possessions, honours, or rights, often as a formal or punitive measure.
Simple“The athlete was stripped of his gold medal after failing a drug test.”
In context“The disgraced executive was stripped of his voting rights and barred from future board meetings.”
UsageUsually used in the passive voice with the preposition 'of'.
- 04 A2 Elementary
n.a long, narrow piece of something like paper, cloth, or metal.
n.a long, narrow piece of material, typically of uniform width.
Simple“She cut the paper into thin strips to make decorations for the party.”
In context“The technician applied a strip of adhesive tape along the seam to ensure a waterproof seal.”
- 05 B1 Intermediate
- 06 B1 Intermediate
n.a sequence of drawings in a newspaper that tell a funny story.
n.a sequence of drawings in boxes that tell a story, typically printed in a newspaper or magazine.
Simple“My favorite part of the Sunday paper is the comic strip.”
In context“The artist gained fame for a daily comic strip that satirised modern office culture.”
Synonyms - 07 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the special clothes worn by a sports team.
n.the identifying outfit or kit worn by members of a sports team.
Simple“The team will be playing in their new red and white strip this weekend.”
In context“The club's traditional away strip features vertical blue stripes and white shorts.”
Teacher's tipIn American English, 'uniform' or 'kit' is much more common than 'strip'.
- 08 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a long street in a town where there are many shops and restaurants.
n.a main thoroughfare lined with commercial establishments, such as shops, restaurants, and hotels.
Simple“We drove down the main strip looking for a place to eat dinner.”
In context“The city's famous neon-lit strip attracts millions of tourists every year.”
Synonyms - 09 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a long, narrow surface where planes take off and land.
n.a runway or landing area for aircraft, often one that is simple or unofficial.
Simple“The small plane landed safely on a dirt strip in the middle of the field.”
In context“The remote research station is only accessible via a narrow landing strip carved into the forest.”
Usage strip away · strip club
“Then, from 7pm to 2am I did various actual jobs, from flyering for gyms to manning the door of a strip club, trying to scrape together enough money for my hostel bill.”
“The most sought-after experiences were in Greenland, Iceland and Spain along with a small strip of Portugal.”
From alteration of stripe or from Middle Low German strippe, of uncertain ultimate origin, perhaps derived from a lost strong verb Proto-Germanic *strīpaną, with no clear cognates outside of Germanic except for Irish sríab (“line, stripe”).
From Middle English strepen, strippen, from Old English strīepan (“plunder”), from Proto-Germanic strēpōną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ter(h₁)- (“to be stiff; be rigid; exert”). Probably related to German Strafe (“deprivation, fine, punishment”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.