straw

[ straw ]
See synonyms for: strawstrawerstrawest on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a single stalk or stem, especially of certain species of grain, chiefly wheat, rye, oats, and barley.

  2. a mass of such stalks, especially after drying and threshing, used as fodder.

  1. material, fibers, etc., made from such stalks, as used for making hats or baskets.

  2. the negligible value of one such stalk; trifle; least bit: not to care a straw.

  3. a tube, usually of paper or glass, for sucking up a beverage from a container: to sip lemonade through a straw.

  4. anything of possible but dubious help in a desperate circumstance.

  5. a straw hat.

adjective
  1. of, pertaining to, containing, or made of straw: a straw hat.

  2. of the color of straw; pale yellow.

  1. of little value or consequence; worthless.

  2. sham; fictitious.

Idioms about straw

  1. catch / clutch / grasp at a straw / straws / any straw(s), to seize at any chance, no matter how slight, of saving oneself from calamity.

  2. draw straws, to decide by lottery using straws or strawlike items of different lengths, usually with the short straw or straws determining the person chosen or the loser.

Origin of straw

1
before 950; Middle English; Old English strēaw; cognate with German Stroh; akin to strew

Other words from straw

  • strawless, adjective
  • strawlike, adjective

Words Nearby straw

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use straw in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for straw (1 of 3)

straw1

/ (strɔː) /


noun
    • stalks of threshed grain, esp of wheat, rye, oats, or barley, used in plaiting hats, baskets, etc, or as fodder

    • (as modifier): a straw hat

  1. a single dry or ripened stalk, esp of a grass

  1. a long thin hollow paper or plastic tube or stem of a plant, used for sucking up liquids into the mouth

  2. (usually used with a negative) anything of little value or importance: I wouldn't give a straw for our chances

  3. a measure or remedy that one turns to in desperation (esp in the phrases clutch or grasp at a straw or straws)

    • a pale yellow colour

    • (as adjective): straw hair

  4. straw in the wind a hint or indication

  5. the last straw a small incident, setback, etc that, coming after others, proves intolerable

adjective
  1. mainly US having little value or substance

Origin of straw

1
Old English streaw; related to Old Norse strā, Old Frisian strē, Old High German strō; see strew

Derived forms of straw

  • strawlike, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for straw (2 of 3)

straw2

/ (strɔː) /


verb
  1. archaic another word for strew

British Dictionary definitions for Straw (3 of 3)

Straw

/ (strɔː) /


noun
  1. Jack, full name John Whitaker Straw. born 1946, British Labour politician; Home Secretary (1997–2001); Foreign Secretary (2001–06); Lord Chancellor (2007–10)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with straw

straw

In addition to the idioms beginning with straw

  • straw boss
  • straw in the wind
  • straw that breaks the camel's back
  • straw vote

also see:

  • draw straws
  • grasp at straws
  • last straw
  • make bricks without straw
  • not worth a dime (straw)

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.