strips

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of strip.

   The chef sliced the peppers into thin strips before frying them.

   Workers laid down strips of fresh sod across the bare yard.

   Note

   Every countable use of strip forms its plural this way: strips of land, strips of cloth, comic strips, landing strips, strip steaks. The material sense can also be uncountable, so a roll of metal strip is cut into separate strips, and the plural marks individual pieces. The same spelling also serves as the present-tense verb form, as in she strips the paint, so context tells noun from verb.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of strip.

   The factory machine strips insulation from copper wire at high speed.

   Each spring he strips the old varnish from the boat's hull.

   Note

   Two constructions share this form. It can take what is removed, as in he strips the varnish from the hull, or the thing left bare, followed by of, as in the court strips him of his title. Without an object it usually means undressing. When a mechanic strips a screw, the screw's thread has been worn away, usually by accident from overtightening.

   The new owner strips the company of its oldest assets.

   Overtightening it strips the thread on the bolt.

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