strip out: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal, Technical (Business, Computing, Engineering)
Quick answer
What does “strip out” mean?
To remove or delete something (often non-essential) from within a larger system, structure, or object.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To remove or delete something (often non-essential) from within a larger system, structure, or object.
To extract or isolate specific elements; in computing, to remove formatting, code, or data; in business, to remove costs or functions; to dismantle or clear out the interior of something.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. More frequent in UK business/IT contexts.
Connotations
Suggests thoroughness, precision, and often improvement by simplification.
Frequency
Slightly more common in British English corporate and technical jargon.
Grammar
How to Use “strip out” in a Sentence
strip out [NP] (from [NP])strip [NP] out (of [NP])Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “strip out” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The software will strip out any duplicate entries.
- We stripped the old plaster out before renovating.
American English
- The report strips out one-time charges to show true earnings.
- They stripped out all the old insulation.
adverb
British English
- The data was processed strip-out quickly by the script.
American English
- The costs were analyzed strip-out to assess core performance.
adjective
British English
- The stripped-out shell of the building awaited refitting.
- We reviewed the stripped-out financial figures.
American English
- The stripped-out car chassis was ready for the new engine.
- Use the stripped-out data version for analysis.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
We need to strip out redundant costs to improve our margins.
Academic
The researcher decided to strip out confounding variables from the dataset.
Everyday
We're going to strip out the old kitchen before installing the new one.
Technical
Use this command to strip out all HTML tags from the text file.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “strip out”
- Using it for simple deletion (use 'delete' for a file).
- Confusing with 'strip off' (to remove a surface layer).
- Incorrect word order: 'strip out it' instead of 'strip it out'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is neutral to formal, common in technical, business, and professional writing.
'Strip out' implies removing something embedded within or integral to a larger, complex system. 'Remove' is more general.
Rarely and only in a figurative, often negative sense (e.g., 'strip out the dead wood' meaning remove underperforming staff). It is not used for physical removal of people.
It is 'stripped out' (double 'p'). 'Striped' refers to having stripes.
To remove or delete something (often non-essential) from within a larger system, structure, or object.
Strip out: in British English it is pronounced /strɪp ˈaʊt/, and in American English it is pronounced /strɪp ˈaʊt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Strip out the dead wood.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a mechanic STRIPPING the engine OUT of a car chassis. You take a complex whole and remove a core part.
Conceptual Metaphor
CLEANSING/CLEARING: Treating a system as a container from which impurities or excess items are removed to leave a pure or functional core.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'strip out' LEAST appropriate?