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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Synonym Usage

See emergency.

Other Word Forms

Derived 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

Their most severe scenario was the current Hormuz reality, whereby the strait, the former conduit of about a fifth of the world’s crude and crude products, essentially closed.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

Apaches have been flying low over the strait for maritime patrols and precision strikes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

The strait is a key waterway for energy transit, sending prices soaring.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

If the strait stays closed, however, each additional month would add roughly $5 a barrel to the bank’s third-quarter forecast for oil prices and $15 to its fourth-quarter estimate as inventories decline.

From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026

The land bridge was flooded and became a strait again most recently when sea level rose after around 14,000 B.C.

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

Related Words

• predicament