Meanings
plural drapes
- businessThe way in which fabric falls or hangs.
The herringbone-twill sample is soft and smooth, with an easy drape that allows the fabric to move beautifully.
2026, Samantha Haring, “A Pair of New Tencels for Effortless Weaving”, in Handwoven, volume XLVII, number 1, page 74
present singular third person drapes · participle present draping · participle past draped · past draped
- transitiveTo cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery.
to drape a bust, a building, etc.
3 more examples
The whole people were still draped professionally.
1840, Thomas De Quincey, Theory of Greek TragedyThese starry blossoms, pure and white, / Soft falling, falling, through the night, / Have draped the woods and mere.
a. 1892, George Washington Bungay, The Artists of the AirThe pair sat before a brilliant gold Buddha statue inside the ornate temple, built 150 years ago by the former Thai King – the supreme patriarch barefoot and draped in orange robes as they spoke.
2019 November 21, “Pope Francis meets Thai Buddhist patriarch on visit promoting religious peace”, in The Straits Times, SPH Digital News, retrieved 22 Nov 2019 - transitiveTo spread over, cover.
I draped my towel over the radiator to dry.
1 more example
I cycled the three miles each morning between hedges draped with spangled cobwebs and berried bryony.
1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 216 - To make cloth.
- To design drapery, arrange its folds, etc., as for hangings, costumes, statues, etc.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo hang or rest limply.
More synonyms by meaning
nounhanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰreb-“to beat, crush, make or become thick”
- Proto-Germanic*drēpiz“intended for striking, to be beaten”
- Proto-Germanic*drapiz“a strike, hit, blow”
- Frankish*drapi, *drāpi“that which is fulled, drabcloth”
- Late Latindrappus
- Old Frenchdraper“to drape; to full cloth”
- Middle Englishdrape“a drape”
- Englishdrape
From Middle English drape (“a drape”, noun), from Old French draper (“to drape; to full cloth”), from drap (“cloth, drabcloth”), from Late Latin drappus, drapus (“drabcloth, kerchief”), a word first recorded in the Capitularies of Charlemagne, probably from Frankish *drapi, *drāpi (“that which is fulled, drabcloth”, literally “that which is struck or for striking”), from Proto-Germanic *drapiz (“a strike, hit, blow”) and Proto-Germanic *drēpiz (“intended for striking, to be beaten”), both from *drepaną (“to beat, strike”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreb- (“to beat, crush, make or become thick”). Cognate with English drub (“to beat”), North Frisian dreep (“a blow”), Low German drapen, dräpen (“to strike”), German treffen (“to meet”), Swedish dräpa (“to slay”). More at drub.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian драпирам, обвивам
- драпирам (drapiram)to cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
- обвивам (obvivam)To spread over, to cover with cloth or clothing
Czech přikrýt, zakrýt
- přikrýtto cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
- zakrýtto cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
- pokrýtto cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
- rozvěsitto hang or rest limpily
- přehoditto hang or rest limpily
Dutch bekleden
- bekledento cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
Estonian drapeerima, drapeerima
- drapeerimato cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
- drapeerimato design drapery, arrange its folds, etc.
Finnish peittää, drapeerata
- peittääto cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
- drapeeratato cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
- peittääTo spread over, to cover with cloth or clothing
- hassutellato rail at; to banter
- drapeeratato design drapery, arrange its folds, etc.
- roikkuato hang or rest limpily
French draper
- draperto cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
German drapieren, drapieren
- drapierento cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
- drapierento design drapery, arrange its folds, etc.
Italian drappeggiare, tappezzare
- drappeggiareto cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
- tappezzareto cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
- tappezzareTo spread over, to cover with cloth or clothing
Māori tiepa, tiepa
- tiepaTo spread over, to cover with cloth or clothing
- tiepato hang or rest limpily
Portuguese drapejar
- drapejarto cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
Romanian drapa
- drapato cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
Spanish colocar, acomodar
- colocarto cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
- acomodarto cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
- drapearto cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
Swedish drapera, drapera
- draperato cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
- draperato design drapery, arrange its folds, etc.
Ukrainian драпірувати, вкривати
- драпірувати (drapiruvaty)to cover or adorn with drapery or folds of cloth, or as with drapery
- вкривати (vkryvaty)To spread over, to cover with cloth or clothing
- вкриватися (vkryvatysja)To spread over, to cover with cloth or clothing
- покривати (pokryvaty)To spread over, to cover with cloth or clothing
- загортатися (zahortatysja)To spread over, to cover with cloth or clothing
- завішувати (zavišuvaty)to hang or rest limpily
- висіти (vysity)to hang or rest limpily
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with drape
Anagrams
Cite this entry
drape. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drape
“drape.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drape. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “drape,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drape.
Source: drape on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.