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”; strain ¹

Example Sentences

In 2017 Beijing completed its first overseas naval base, in Djibouti, which sits on the vital Bab al-Mandab strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.

From The Wall Street Journal

But as temperatures rise, icebergs and thick chunks of centuries-old ice are released into open water, turning shipping straits into minefields.

From The Wall Street Journal

Storm-ravaged communities in western Jamaica were facing dire straits Sunday, days after record-setting Hurricane Melissa left towns demolished and at least 28 people dead across the island.

From Barron's

Still, Wu said, those facing dire straits due to the shutdown should prioritize essential needs like their mortgage or rent over immediate credit preservation.

From MarketWatch

The waste collection program had previously been heavily subsidized, to the tune of about $500,000 a day, which was no longer viable given the city’s financial straits.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• predicament