strait

American  

[streyt] / streɪt /

noun

1. (used with a singular verb) Often straits. a narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water.

2. Often straits. a position of difficulty, distress, or need.

   Ill and penniless, he was in sad straits indeed.

   Synonyms:

   plight, predicament, dilemma, pinch, exigency

   Antonyms:

   ease

3. Archaic. a narrow passage or area.

4. an isthmus.

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adjective

Archaic.

1. narrow.

   Strait is the gate.

2. affording little space; confined in area.

3. strict, as in requirements or principles.

strait British  

/ streɪt /

noun

1. (often plural)

   1. a narrow channel of the sea linking two larger areas of sea

   2. ( capital as part of a name )

      the Strait of Gibraltar

2. (often plural) a position of acute difficulty (often in the phrase in dire or desperate straits )

3. archaic a narrow place or passage

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adjective

1. (of spaces, etc) affording little room

2. (of circumstances, etc) limiting or difficult

3. severe, strict, or scrupulous

strait Scientific  

/ strāt /

1. A narrow waterway joining two larger bodies of water. The Strait of Gibraltar, for example, connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean.

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Related Words

See emergency.

Other Word Forms

• straitly
  adverb
• straitness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of strait

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English streit “narrow, a strait,” from Old French estreit “narrow, tight,” from Latin strictus, past participle of stringere “to tighten, bind”; see strain ¹

Explanation

A strait is a narrow sea channel or a difficult situation — remember that both are difficult to navigate. If you're stranded on a strait off the Black Sea, you might also say that you're in dire straits. The noun strait comes from the Latin word strictus, meaning "to bind or draw tight." Whether you're describing a narrow passage of water or a tricky situation, a strait will make you feel like you're in tight quarters. You might be familiar with the term "dire straits," which refers an urgent or drastic situation. If all the dorms are overbooked for the fall semester and the off-campus apartments are all rented, you might find yourself in dire straits.

Example Sentences

Oil futures settled lower after U.S. officials said Iranian strikes didn’t mark the end of the cease-fire as the U.S. carries out an operation to help get vessels though the Strait of Hormuz.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Trump also said he agreed to pause “Project Freedom,” the administration’s initiative to move commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

"The key question for oil traders is whether this leads to real progress in reopening trade through the Strait of Hormuz," said Chanana, an investment strategist.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

Oil prices settled lower Tuesday after the Pentagon played down Iran’s latest missile strikes in the Strait of Hormuz.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

This cultural barrier at Torres Strait is astonishing only because we may mislead ourselves into picturing a full-fledged New Guinea society with intensive agriculture and pigs 10 miles off the Australian coast.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• predicament