straw
a single stalk or stem, especially of certain species of grain, chiefly wheat, rye, oats, and barley.
a mass of such stalks, especially after drying and threshing, used as fodder.
material, fibers, etc., made from such stalks, as used for making hats or baskets.
the negligible value of one such stalk; trifle; least bit: not to care a straw.
a tube, usually of paper or glass, for sucking up a beverage from a container: to sip lemonade through a straw.
anything of possible but dubious help in a desperate circumstance.
a straw hat.
of, pertaining to, containing, or made of straw: a straw hat.
of the color of straw; pale yellow.
of little value or consequence; worthless.
sham; fictitious.
Idioms about straw
catch / clutch / grasp at a straw / straws / any straw(s), to seize at any chance, no matter how slight, of saving oneself from calamity.
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
1Other 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
For years, the top complaint about the product was that people lost the little red straw that came with each can.
They’re like high-end veggie straws you get in the snack aisle.
For a surface with boundary, such as a straw with its two boundary circles, each cut must begin and end on a boundary.
She was a tough act to follow, and the guy who drew the short straw was Garth Brooks.
Inauguration Musical Performances Are Tricky. But Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks Did Exactly What We Needed Them to Do | Stephanie Zacharek | January 20, 2021 | TimeSuch defiance from the tech giants was a final straw for Museveni.
Authoritarians have a love-hate relationship with social media | Yinka Adegoke | January 16, 2021 | Quartz
Most of it is taken up by a graphic inviting the visitor to participate in the 2016 online presidential straw poll.
Today’s GOP: Still Cool With Racist Pandering? | Michael Tomasky | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTExactly one month after the first straw goat was erected in Gävle, it was mysteriously burned to a crisp.
I thanked him, sat down on the sofa, and sipped it through the straw.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything | Liz Seccuro | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHana seeks refuge from the buzzing lights of Otome Road in a nearby café and makes another swirl with her straw.
She slowly moves her straw through the whipped cream in her designer latte and looks up.
Poor Squinty ran and tried to hide under the straw, for he knew the boy was talking about him.
Squinty the Comical Pig | Richard BarnumHe reached up for her big, rough straw hat that hung on a peg outside the door, and put it on her head.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinIn fact, so much of her smooth brow as could be seen under a broad-brimmed straw hat was wrinkled in a decided frown.
The Red Year | Louis TracyHe put on his big straw hat, and taking his umbrella from the stand in the hall, followed the lady in black, never overtaking her.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinThe clear, straw-colored fluid which is left after separation of the coagulum is called blood-serum.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
British Dictionary definitions for straw (1 of 3)
/ (strɔː) /
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
a single dry or ripened stalk, esp of a grass
a long thin hollow paper or plastic tube or stem of a plant, used for sucking up liquids into the mouth
(usually used with a negative) anything of little value or importance: I wouldn't give a straw for our chances
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
straw in the wind a hint or indication
the last straw a small incident, setback, etc that, coming after others, proves intolerable
mainly US having little value or substance
Origin of straw
1- See also man of straw
Derived forms of straw
- strawlike, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for straw (2 of 3)
/ (strɔː) /
archaic another word for strew
British Dictionary definitions for Straw (3 of 3)
/ (strɔː) /
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
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.
Browse