A stripe is a line or band that differs in color or tone from an adjacent area. Stripes are a group of such lines.
As a pattern (more than one stripe together), stripes are commonly seen in nature, food, emblems, clothing, and elsewhere.
Two-toned stripes inherently draw one's attention, and as such are used to signal hazards. They are used in road signs, barricade tape, and thresholds.
In nature, as with the zebra, stripes may have developed through natural selection to produce motion dazzle.
Stripes may give appeal to certain foods. One example is the candy cane.
For hundreds of years, stripes have been used in clothing. Striped clothing has frequently had negative symbolism in Western cultures. Historian Michel Pastoureau explores the cultural history of these design decisions in the book, The Devil's Cloth.