(~s, ~ping, ~ped)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ of something such as paper, cloth, or food is a long, narrow piece of it.
...a new kind of manufactured wood made by pressing ~s of wood together and baking them...
Serve dish with ~s of fresh raw vegetables.
N-COUNT: usu N of n
2.
A ~ of land or water is a long narrow area of it.
The coastal cities of Liguria sit on narrow ~s of land lying under steep mountains.
...a short boat ride across a narrow ~ of water.
= stretch
N-COUNT: usu N of n
3.
A ~ is a long street in a city or town, where there are a lot of stores, restaurants, and hotels. (AM)
...Goff’s Charcoal Hamburgers on Lover’s Lane, a busy commercial ~ in North Dallas.
N-COUNT
4.
If you ~, you take off your clothes.
They ~ped completely, and lay in the damp grass...
Women residents ~ped naked in protest.
VERB: V, V adj
•
Strip off means the same as ~ .
The children were brazenly ~ping off and leaping into the sea.
PHRASAL VERB: V P
5.
If someone is ~ped, their clothes are taken off by another person, for example in order to search for hidden or illegal things.
One prisoner claimed he’d been dragged to a cell, ~ped and beaten.
VERB: usu passive, be V-ed
see also ~-search
6.
To ~ something means to remove everything that covers it.
After Mike left for work I ~ped the beds and vacuumed the carpets...
The floorboards in both this room and the dining room have been ~ped, sanded and sealed.
VERB: V n, V n
7.
If you ~ an engine or a piece of equipment, you take it to pieces so that it can be cleaned or repaired.
Volvo’s three-man team ~ped the car and restored it.
VERB: V n
•
Strip down means the same as ~ .
In five years I had to ~ the water pump down four times...
I ~ped down the two SU carburettors, cleaned and polished the pieces and rebuilt the units.
PHRASAL VERB: V n P, V P n (not pron)
8.
To ~ someone of their property, rights, or titles means to take those things away from them.
A senior official was ~ped of all his privileges for publicly criticising his employer.
VERB: be V-ed of n, also V n of n
9.
In a newspaper or magazine, a ~ is a series of drawings which tell a story. The words spoken by the characters are often written on the drawings. (AM)
...the Doonesbury ~.
N-COUNT
10.
see also landing ~