Try Our Apps
Dictionary.com

follow Dictionary.com

Acronym v. Abbreviation

strong

[strawng, strong] /strɔŋ, strɒŋ/
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
adjective, stronger
[strawng-ger, strong-] /ˈstrɔŋ gər, ˈstrɒŋ-/ (Show IPA), strongest
[strawng-gist, strong-] /ˈstrɔŋ gɪst, ˈstrɒŋ-/ (Show IPA)
1.
having, showing, or able to exert great bodily or muscular power; physically vigorous or robust:
a strong boy.
2.
accompanied or delivered by great physical, mechanical, etc., power or force:
a strong handshake; With one strong blow the machine stamped out a fender.
3.
mentally powerful or vigorous:
He may be old, but his mind is still strong.
4.
especially able, competent, or powerful in a specific field or respect:
She's very strong in mathematics. He's weak at bat, but he's a strong fielder.
5.
of great moral power, firmness, or courage:
strong under temptation.
6.
powerful in influence, authority, resources, or means of prevailing or succeeding:
a strong nation.
7.
aggressive; willful:
a strong personality.
8.
of great force, effectiveness, potency, or cogency; compelling:
strong reasons; strong arguments.
9.
clear and firm; loud:
He has a strong voice.
10.
solid or stable; healthy; thriving:
The banker predicted a strong economy.
11.
well-supplied or rich in something specific:
a strong hand in trumps.
12.
having powerful means to resist attack, assault, or aggression:
a strong fortress; a strong defense.
13.
able to resist strain, force, wear, etc.:
strong walls; strong cloth.
14.
decisively unyielding; firm or uncompromising:
She has strong views about the United Nations. He has a strong sense of duty.
15.
fervent; zealous; thoroughgoing:
He's a strong Democrat.
16.
strenuous or energetic; vigorous:
strong efforts.
17.
moving or acting with force or vigor:
strong winds.
18.
distinct or marked; vivid, as impressions, resemblance or contrast:
He bears a strong resemblance to his grandfather.
19.
intense, as light or color.
20.
having a large proportion of the effective or essential properties or ingredients; concentrated:
strong tea.
21.
(of a beverage or food) containing much alcohol:
strong drink; The fruitcake was too strong.
22.
having a high degree of flavor or odor:
strong cheese; strong perfume.
23.
having an unpleasant or offensive flavor or odor, especially in the process of decay:
strong butter.
24.
of a designated number:
Marines 20,000 strong.
25.
Commerce. characterized by steady or advancing prices:
The market resumed its strong pace after yesterday's setback.
26.
Grammar.
  1. (of Germanic verbs) having vowel change in the root in inflected forms, as the English verbs sing, sang, sung; ride, rode, ridden.
  2. (of Germanic nouns and adjectives) inflected with endings that are generally distinctive of case, number, and gender, as German alter Mann “old man.”.
  3. belonging to the morphophonemically less regular of two inflectional subtypes.
27.
(of a word or syllable) stressed.
28.
Optics. having great magnifying or refractive power:
a strong microscope.
adverb
29.
strongly.
Idioms
30.
come on strong, Slang. to behave in an aggressive, ardent, or flamboyant manner:
When you're interviewed for the job, don't come on too strong.
Origin of strong
Middle English
Old English
900
before 900; (adj.) Middle English strang, strong, Old English; cognate with Middle Dutch stranc, Old Norse strangr; (adv.) Middle English strange, stronge, Old English; cognate with Old High German strango; akin to string
Related forms
strongish, adjective
strongly, adverb
strongness, noun
overstrong, adjective
overstrongly, adverb
overstrongness, noun
self-strong, adjective
superstrong, adjective
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
1. mighty, sturdy, brawny, sinewy, hardy, muscular, stout, stalwart. 4. potent, capable, efficient. 5. valiant, brave. 7. bold, intense. 8. persuasive, cogent, impressive, conclusive. 10. steady, firm, secure. 14. unwavering, resolute. 15. fervid, vehement. 18. stark, sharp. 19. brilliant, vivid. 22. pungent, aromatic, sharp, piquant, hot, spicy, biting. 23. smelly, rank.
Antonyms
1. weak.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2016.
Cite This Source
Examples from the Web for strong
Contemporary Examples
Historical Examples

  • He drew her to him by the hand he still clasped, and put his strong arms about her.

    Thoroughbreds W. A. Fraser

  • When conscious of this, she put a strong check upon herself.

    Deerbrook Harriet Martineau

  • Watch the next experiment to see what a strong acid will do to cloth.

    Common Science Carleton W. Washburne

  • Your sister is as strong a heroine in one direction as mine is in another.

    Deerbrook Harriet Martineau

  • Two feet long the piece was, and larger than a strong man's leg.

    Triplanetary Edward Elmer Smith
British Dictionary definitions for strong

strong

/strɒŋ/
adjective stronger (ˈstrɒŋɡə), strongest (ˈstrɒŋɡɪst)
1.
involving or possessing physical or mental strength
2.
solid or robust in construction; not easily broken or injured
3.
having a resolute will or morally firm and incorruptible character
4.
intense in quality; not faint or feeble: a strong voice, a strong smell
5.
easily defensible; incontestable or formidable
6.
concentrated; not weak or diluted
7.
  1. (postpositive) containing or having a specified number: a navy 40 000 strong
  2. (in combination): a 40 000-strong navy
8.
having an unpleasantly powerful taste or smell
9.
having an extreme or drastic effect: strong discipline
10.
emphatic or immoderate: strong language
11.
convincing, effective, or cogent
12.
(of a colour) having a high degree of saturation or purity; being less saturated than a vivid colour but more so than a moderate colour; produced by a concentrated quantity of colouring agent
13.
(grammar)
  1. denoting or belonging to a class of verbs, in certain languages including the Germanic languages, whose conjugation shows vowel gradation, as sing, sang, sung
  2. belonging to any part-of-speech class, in any of various languages, whose inflections follow the less regular of two possible patterns Compare weak (sense 10)
14.
(of a wind, current, etc) moving fast
15.
(of a syllable) accented or stressed
16.
(of an industry, market, currency, securities, etc) firm in price or characterized by firm or increasing prices
17.
(of certain acids and bases) producing high concentrations of hydrogen or hydroxide ions in aqueous solution
18.
(Irish) prosperous; well-to-do (esp in the phrase a strong farmer)
19.
have a strong stomach, not to be prone to nausea
adverb
20.
(informal) in a strong way; effectively: going strong
21.
come on strong, to make a forceful or exaggerated impression
Derived Forms
strongish, adjective
strongly, adverb
strongness, noun
Word Origin
Old English strang; related to Old Norse strangr, Middle High German strange, Lettish strans courageous
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
Cite This Source
Word Origin and History for strong
adj.

Old English strang "physically powerful, powerful in effect, forceful, severe," from Proto-Germanic *strangaz (cf. Old Norse strangr "strong," Dutch streng "strict, rigorous," Old High German strang "strong, bold, hard," German streng "strict, rigorous"). Originally compared strenger, strengest (cf. old/elder/eldest). Grammatical sense, of noun and verb inflections, is first attested 1841, translating German stark, used in a grammatical sense by J. Grimm (the terms strong and weak better fit German inflections). Strong suit (1865) is from card-playing. Strong man "man of great strength" (especially one who displays it professionally) is recorded from 1690s; meaning "dominating man in a political organization" is from 1859.

adv.

Old English strange (alongside strongly), from the same source as strong (adj.). Going strong (1898) is from racing. To come on strong was originally come it strong (1812).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Slang definitions & phrases for strong

strong

Related Terms

come on strong

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
Cite This Source
Idioms and Phrases with strong

strong

also see:
come on strong
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source

Word of the Day

Difficulty index for strong

All English speakers likely know this word

Word Value for strong

7
9
Scrabble Words With Friends

Related Words

Nearby words for strong