11 → see also landing strip
▸ strip away
1 PHRASAL VERB To strip away something, especially something that hides the true nature of a thing, means to remove it completely. □ [V P n] Altman strips away the pretence to expose the film industry as a business like any other.
2 PHRASAL VERB To strip away a layer of something means to remove it completely. □ [V P n] Sensitive Cream will not strip away the skin's protective layer. □ [V n P + from ] She'd managed to strip the bloodied rags away from Nellie's body.
▸ strip down → see strip 8
▸ strip off
1 PHRASAL VERB If you strip off your clothes, you take them off. □ [V P n] He stripped off his wet clothes and stepped into the shower. [Also V n P ]
2 → see also strip 4
stri p car|too n (strip cartoons ) N‑COUNT A strip cartoon is the same as a comic strip . [BRIT ]
stri p club (strip clubs ) N‑COUNT A strip club is a club which people go to in order to see striptease.
stripe /stra I p/ (stripes )
1 N‑COUNT A stripe is a long line which is a different colour from the areas next to it. □ She wore a bright green jogging suit with a white stripe down the sides. □ The walls in the front bedroom are painted with broad, pale blue and white stripes.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] In the armed forces or the police, stripes are V-shaped bands of material sewn onto a uniform to indicate the rank of corporal or sergeant. In the United States, stripes can also show the length of time that a person has served in an organization. □ …a soldier with a corporal's stripes on his arms.
striped /stra I pt/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Something that is striped has stripes on it. □ …a bottle green and maroon striped tie. □ …striped wallpaper.
strip|ey /stra I pi/ → see stripy
stri p joint (strip joints ) N‑COUNT A strip joint is the same as a strip club . [INFORMAL ]
stri p light (strip lights ) also strip-light N‑COUNT A strip light is an electric light in the form of a long tube. [BRIT ]
stri p light|ing also strip-lighting N‑UNCOUNT Strip lighting is a method of lighting which uses long tubes rather than light bulbs. [BRIT ] □ Other causes of migraine are VDU screens and strip-lighting.
strip|ling /str I pl I ŋ/ (striplings ) N‑COUNT People sometimes refer to a young man as a stripling when they want to indicate in a slightly humorous way that although he is no longer a boy, he is not yet really a man. [OLD-FASHIONED ] □ …a stripling of 20.
stri p mine (strip mines ) N‑COUNT A strip mine is a mine in which the coal, metal, or mineral is near the surface, and so underground passages are not needed. [AM ] in BRIT, use opencast mine
stri p min|ing also strip-mining N‑UNCOUNT Strip mining is a method of mining that is used when a mineral is near the surface and underground passages are not needed. [AM ] in BRIT, use opencast mining
strip|per /str I pə r / (strippers ) N‑COUNT A stripper is a person who earns money by taking their clothes off in public, especially as part of a show. □ She worked as a stripper and did some acting. □ …a male stripper.
stri p-search (strip-searches , strip-searching , strip-searched ) also strip search VERB [usu passive] If a person is strip-searched , someone such as a police officer makes them take off all their clothes and searches them, usually to see if they are carrying drugs or weapons. Compare body search . □ [be V -ed ] I was strip-searched at the airport. [Also be V -ed + for ]
strip|tease /str I ptiː z, [AM ] -tiːz/ (stripteases ) also strip-tease N‑VAR Striptease is a form of entertainment in which someone slowly takes off their clothes in a sexually exciting way, usually while music is played.
stripy /stra I pi/ also stripey ADJ [usu ADJ n] Something that is stripy has stripes on it. [INFORMAL ] □ He was wearing a stripy shirt and baggy blue trousers.
strive /stra I v/ (strives , striving ) The past tense is either strove or strived , and the past participle is either striven or strived . VERB If you strive to do something or strive for something, you make a great effort to do it or get it. □ [V to-inf] He strives hard to keep himself very fit. □ [V + for ] The region must now strive for economic development as well as peace. [Also V ]
strobe /stroʊ b/ (strobes ) N‑COUNT [oft N n] A strobe or a strobe light is a very bright light which flashes on and off very quickly.
strode /stroʊ d/ Strode is the past tense and past participle of stride .
stroke ◆◇◇ /stroʊ k/ (strokes , stroking , stroked )
1 VERB If you stroke someone or something, you move your hand slowly and gently over them. □ [V n] Carla, curled up on the sofa, was stroking her cat. □ [V n] She walked forward and embraced him and stroked his tousled white hair.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] If someone has a stroke , a blood vessel in their brain bursts or becomes blocked, which may kill them or make them unable to move one side of their body. □ He had a minor stroke in 1987, which left him partly paralysed.
3 N‑COUNT [usu pl] The strokes of a pen or brush are the movements or marks that you make with it when you are writing or painting. □ Fill in gaps by using short, upward strokes of the pencil.