wrap
verb · noun
Simple meaning
Crash into so as to coil around.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
rapIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹæp
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering
transitive
To enclose (an object) completely in any flexible, thin material such as fabric or paper.
transitive
To enclose or coil around an object or organism, as a form of grasping.
Crash into so as to coil around
“The teenager wrapped his car around the fire hydrant.”
Arrange or or coil around
transitivefigurative
To conceal by enveloping or enfolding; to hide.
noun
A type of food consisting of various ingredients wrapped in a tortilla or pancake.
Paper or sheeting that is wrapped around something to protect, contain, or conceal it.
A loose piece of women's clothing that one wraps around the body; a shawl or scarf.
Australiainformal
A sharp blow with something hard.
Cloak that is folded or wrapped around a person
The covering (usually paper or cellophane) in which something is wrapped
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering
Used this way, wrap is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use wrap
- “Wrap the baby before taking her out.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The covering (usually paper or cellophane) in which something is wrapped.
Enclosed securely in a covering of paper or the like.
A loose dressing gown for women.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Arrange or fold as a cover or protection.
A tough paper used for wrapping.
Software on CD-ROMs that are boxed and shrink-wrapped and sold in stores (implying a widely supported standard platform).
A paper jacket for a book.
Wrap (a gift) attractively.
Ornamental wrapping for gifts.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.
