streak
a long, narrow mark, smear, band of color, or the like: streaks of mud.
a portion or layer of something, distinguished by color or nature from the rest; a vein or stratum: streaks of fat in meat.
a vein, strain, or admixture of anything: a streak of humor.
Informal.
a spell or run: a streak of good luck.
an uninterrupted series: The team had a losing streak of ten games.
a flash leaving a visible line or aftereffect, as of lightning; bolt.
Mineralogy. the line of powder obtained by scratching a mineral or rubbing it upon a hard, rough white surface, often differing in color from the mineral in the mass, and serving as an important distinguishing character.
Plant Pathology.
an elongated, narrow, superficial lesion on stems or leaf veins, becoming brown and necrotic.
any disease characterized by such lesions.
to mark with a streak or streaks; form streaks on: sunlight streaking the water with gold; frost streaking the windows.
to lighten or color (strands of hair) for contrastive effect.
to dispose, arrange, smear, spread, etc., in the form of a streak or streaks: to streak cold germs on a slide for microscopic study.
to become streaked.
to run, go, or work rapidly.
to flash, as lightning.
to make a sudden dash in public while naked, especially as a prank.
Idioms about streak
blue streak. blue streak.
Origin of streak
1Other words for streak
Other words from streak
- streaked·ly [streekt-lee, stree-kid-lee], /ˈstrikt li, ˈstri kɪd li/, adverb
- streakedness, noun
- streaker, noun
- streaklike, adjective
- in·ter·streak, verb (used with object)
- un·streaked, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use streak in a sentence
Your business might be off to a strong start or have gained momentum after Prime Day, and you’re now thinking of ways to build upon that to continue your winning streak and boost your sales in the coming months.
Don’t miss out on the most unpredictable holiday season yet | Sponsored Content: Microsoft Advertising | November 18, 2020 | Search Engine LandThe short-form video app’s hot streak has continued, with its user base having tripled since 2018, TechCrunch reported.
Social Shorts: Instagram pegs Reels and Shop, Pinterest’s engagement metric, TikTok’s size and more | Ginny Marvin | November 16, 2020 | Search Engine LandSemeter and colleagues examined horizontal streaks below picket fences in high-resolution images of STEVE taken by citizen scientists.
STEVE may be even less like typical auroras than scientists thought | Maria Temming | November 12, 2020 | Science NewsComing into 2020, ultrarunner Sabrina Stanley was in the midst of a notable winning streak—she’d won the last 11 ultramarathons she entered.
Kicker Nick Folk’s 51-yard field goal as time expired won it for the Patriots, who ended their losing streak at four games and improved to 3-5 at the halfway point of their season.
The Patriots’ season isn’t fixed, but at least they avoided losing to the Jets | Mark Maske | November 10, 2020 | Washington Post
So the last thing the brand needed was a streaker at its menswear fashion show, which was staged in Milan over the weekend.
Streaker Crashes Dolce & Gabbana Runway; Kanye West's "I Am God" Song Inspired By Fashion Show Invitation | The Fashion Beast Team | June 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTStreaker Walks Dolce and Gabbana Runway: Dolce & Gabbana has been through a lot lately.
Streaker Crashes Dolce & Gabbana Runway; Kanye West's "I Am God" Song Inspired By Fashion Show Invitation | The Fashion Beast Team | June 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTStreaker, the housemaid, too, had an attribute of a most discomfiting nature.
Three Ghost Stories | Charles DickensStreaker, the housemaid, feigned p. 128cheerfulness, but was the greater martyr.
Three Ghost Stories | Charles Dickens
British Dictionary definitions for streak (1 of 2)
/ (striːk) /
a long thin mark, stripe, or trace of some contrasting colour
(of lightning) a sudden flash
(as modifier): streak lightning
an element or trace, as of some quality or characteristic
a strip, vein, or layer: fatty streaks
a short stretch or run, esp of good or bad luck
mineralogy the powdery mark made by a mineral when rubbed on a hard or rough surface: its colour is an important distinguishing characteristic
bacteriol the inoculation of a solid culture medium by drawing a wire contaminated with the microorganisms across it
informal an act or the practice of running naked through a public place
(tr) to mark or daub with a streak or streaks
(intr) to form streaks or become streaked
(intr) to move rapidly in a straight line
(intr) informal to run naked through a crowd of people in a public place in order to shock or amuse them
Origin of streak
1Derived forms of streak
- streaked, adjective
- streaker, noun
- streaklike, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for streak (2 of 2)
/ (striːk) /
a variant spelling of strake (def. 2)
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
Scientific definitions for streak
[ strēk ]
The characteristic color of a mineral after it has been ground into a powder. Because the streak of a mineral is not always the same as its natural color, it is a useful tool in mineral identification.
A bacterial culture inoculated by drawing a bacteria-laden needle across the surface of a solid culture medium. Also called streak plate
Any of various viral diseases of plants characterized by the appearance of discolored stripes on the leaves or stems.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with streak
see like greased lightning (a blue streak); talk someone's arm off (a blue streak); winning streak.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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