Describes a piece of clothing — almost always a woman's dress, top, or bra — that has no straps going over the shoulders. It sits on the body and stays up by itself, held by a tight band around the chest. You will see it most often in shops and in talk about weddings and parties: a strapless gown, a strapless bra, a strapless top. The word only tells you about the shoulders; a strapless dress can be long or short, plain or fancy. People sometimes use it for other things that are missing their strap — a strapless watch, a strapless bag — but that use is much rarer and usually means the strap broke or came off, not that it was designed that way. There is no real feeling of good or bad in the word; it is a plain description, though in fashion writing it often carries a small sense of elegant or dressy, because strapless clothes are usually for special days.