strop

1 of 2

noun

: strap:
a
: a short rope with its ends spliced to form a circle
b
: a usually leather band for sharpening a razor

strop

2 of 2

verb

stropped; stropping

transitive verb

: to sharpen (a razor) on a strop

Examples of strop in a Sentence

Verb at the museum they showed us how men used to strop razors with leather bands before the days of disposable blades
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The bold combo is accented with a tri-color racing strip down its middle and a Rosso Mars red strop that runs along the bottom of the supercar and around its rear diffuser. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2023 Then, move on to the rotating ceramic rod, one side rough and the other smooth, and finish with the leather strop. Jim Cobb, Field & Stream, 21 Sep. 2023 However, additional tools like a strop can further refine and maintain the edge. Craig Caudill, Field & Stream, 13 July 2023 This model has five separate stages, working from 200 grit and 600 grit diamond plates to the rough and smooth sides of the ceramic rod, then finally to the leather strop. Jim Cobb, Field & Stream, 3 May 2023 All that’s needed at this point is to run it on a strop a few times to straighten that microscopic edge. Jim Cobb, Field & Stream, 3 May 2023 Mine may be better used as a razor strop. Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2021 Within a day, C.L. Netherland, a massacre survivor and minister whose barber shop at 110 Greenwood Avenue was destroyed, purchased a folding chair, a strop and razor, and set up shop on a sidewalk. New York Times, 24 May 2021 High-end knives can also benefit from a strop. Tyler Freel, Outdoor Life, 15 Mar. 2021
Verb
To strop, draw your knife backward from heel to tip. Craig Caudill, Field & Stream, 13 July 2023 The Department of Transportation said the policy was in response to Beijing's refusal to allow a resumption of flights to China by U.S. carriers that stropped flying to China due to U.S. coronavirus restrictions. Harold Maass, TheWeek, 4 June 2020 Sometimes a leafy twig is selected, and before this can be used the chimpanzee has to strop off the leaves. National Geographic, 17 Apr. 2019 There’s little thunder, no off-piste mental excursions, no sense of a writer stropping his razor. New York Times, 9 July 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'strop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English — more at strap

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of strop was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near strop

Cite this Entry

“Strop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strop. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

strop

1 of 2 noun
: a usually leather band for sharpening a razor

strop

2 of 2 verb
stropped; stropping
: to sharpen on a strop
strop a razor
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