Striped means having a pattern of long, parallel bands of different colors running across a surface. A zebra is striped with bold black and white lines. A tiger is striped with orange and black. Candy canes are striped with red and white spirals. The American flag is striped with alternating red and white horizontal bands.

Stripes can run in any direction: horizontal (side to side), vertical (up and down), or diagonal (slanted). A striped shirt might have thin lines called pinstripes, or wide bands called bold stripes. Bees are striped yellow and black, which warns predators to stay away. A barber pole outside an old-fashioned barbershop is striped in red, white, and blue, spinning as it turns.

When something is striped, it has multiple stripes forming a pattern. You might have a striped notebook, sleep on striped sheets, or wear striped socks. Stripes appear everywhere in nature and design because the pattern is simple, bold, and eye-catching.