What does stripper mean?
A stripper most commonly means a person who performs a striptease, usually as paid entertainment in a club or similar venue. In technical, industrial, and craft contexts, the word may instead describe a person or device that removes a coating, covering, or component, such as a tool for stripping wire or removing paint. The ordinary sense is informal and can sometimes sound objectifying, especially when it is used as a blunt label for a woman. The technical senses are more specialized and are common in workplaces, manuals, and discussions of manufacturing or maintenance. The word is formed from the verb “strip” plus the suffix “-er,” indicating an agent or device that performs the action. Its usefulness lies in this contrast: the same term can describe both a familiar form of nightclub entertainment and the practical machinery used to prepare materials.
A person who performs a striptease, often as paid entertainment.
"The stripper performed several routines during the evening."
This is the most common everyday sense in British and American English. It is informal and may carry an objectifying connotation depending on context.
A person, tool, or machine used to remove a coating, covering, or component from something.
"The technician used a wire stripper to prepare the cable."
This is a technical or occupational sense and is common in industrial, electrical, and craft contexts.
The regular plural is used for multiple performers, workers, or tools.
"The venue booked several strippers for the weekend."
From stripping clothes to stripping paint or wire, “stripper” has long meant something that removes what covers or separates something.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stripper come from?
The word “stripper” is an agent-noun formation from “strip” and the suffix “-er.” The resulting noun has long been used both for a person who removes clothing as part of a performance and for tools or devices that remove coverings, coatings, or other material; the specialized meanings developed through the general sense of stripping or removing something.
How stripper is actually used
In everyday British and American English, the word usually refers to a striptease performer and may be considered informal or objectifying in some contexts. In technical and industrial settings, it can refer to a worker or a specialized tool whose function is to remove a coating, covering, or component.
Easily confused with stripper
A stripper is a person or device that performs a stripping action, whereas a strip is the act of removing something or a narrow band of material.