strain

¹ American  

[streyn] / streɪn /

verb (used with object)

• strains,
  present (3rd person singular)
• strained,
  past participle,  past
• straining
  present participle

1. to draw tight or taut, especially to the utmost tension; stretch to the full.

   to strain a rope.

   Synonyms:

   extend

2. to exert to the utmost.

   to strain one's ears to catch a sound.

3. to impair, injure, or weaken (a muscle, tendon, etc.) by stretching or overexertion.

4. to cause mechanical deformation in (a body or structure) as the result of stress.

5. to stretch beyond the proper point or limit.

   to strain the meaning of a word.

6. to make excessive demands upon.

   to strain one's luck; to strain one's resources.

7. to pour (liquid containing solid matter) through a filter, sieve, or the like in order to hold back the denser solid constituents.

   to strain gravy.

   Synonyms:

   sieve, filter

8. to draw off (clear or pure liquid) by means of a filter or sieve.

   to strain the water from spinach; to strain broth.

9. to hold back (solid particles) from liquid matter by means of a filter or sieve.

   to strain seeds from orange juice; to strain rice.

10. to clasp tightly in the arms, the hand, etc..

    The mother strained her child close to her breast.

    Synonyms:

    press, embrace, hug

11. Obsolete. to constrain, as to a course of action.

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verb (used without object)

• strains,
  present (3rd person singular)
• strained,
  past participle,  past
• straining
  present participle

1. to pull forcibly.

   a dog straining at a leash.

2. to stretch one's muscles, nerves, etc., to the utmost.

3. to make violent physical efforts; strive hard.

4. to resist forcefully; balk.

   to strain at accepting an unpleasant fact.

5. to be subjected to tension or stress; suffer strain.

6. to filter, percolate, or ooze.

   Synonyms:

   seep

7. to trickle or flow.

   Sap strained from the bark.

noun

1. any force or pressure tending to alter shape, cause a fracture, etc.

2. strong muscular or physical effort.

   Synonyms:

   exertion

3. great or excessive effort or striving after some goal, object, or effect.

4. an injury to a muscle, tendon, etc., due to excessive tension or use; sprain.

   Synonyms:

   wrench

5. Mechanics, Physics. deformation of a body or structure as a result of an applied force.

6. condition of being strained or stretched.

7. a task, goal, or effect accomplished only with great effort.

   Housecleaning is a real strain.

8. severe, trying, or fatiguing pressure or exertion; taxing onus.

   the strain of hard work.

9. a severe demand on or test of resources, feelings, a person, etc..

   a strain on one's hospitality.

10. a flow or burst of language, eloquence, etc..

    the lofty strain of Cicero.

11. Often strains. a passage of melody, music, or songs as rendered or heard.

    the strains of the nightingale.

12. Music. a section of a piece of music, more or less complete in itself.

13. a passage or piece of poetry.

14. the tone, style, or spirit of an utterance, writing, etc..

    a humorous strain.

15. a particular degree, height, or pitch attained.

    a strain of courageous enthusiasm.

strain ² American  

[streyn] / streɪn /

noun

1. the body of descendants of a common ancestor, as a family or stock.

2. any of the different lines of ancestry united in a family or an individual.

3. a group of plants distinguished from other plants of the variety to which it belongs by some intrinsic quality, such as a tendency to yield heavily; breed.

4. an artificial variety of a species of domestic animal or cultivated plant.

5. Microbiology, Pathology. a specific variety of a virus, bacterium, or other microorganism.

   A strain of the virus will have distinct virulent properties as well as a particular immune response.

6. ancestry or descent.

7. hereditary or natural character, tendency, or trait.

   a strain of insanity in a family.

   Synonyms:

   predisposition, vein, streak

8. a streak or trace.

9. a kind or sort.

10. Obsolete. procreation.

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strain ¹ British  

/ streɪn /

verb

1. to draw or be drawn taut; stretch tight

2. to exert, tax, or use (resources) to the utmost extent

3. to injure or damage or be injured or damaged by overexertion

   he strained himself

4. to deform or be deformed as a result of a stress

5. (intr) to make intense or violent efforts; strive

6. to subject or be subjected to mental tension or stress

7. to pour or pass (a substance) or (of a substance) to be poured or passed through a sieve, filter, or strainer

8. (tr) to draw off or remove (one part of a substance or mixture from another) by or as if by filtering

9. (tr) to clasp tightly; hug

10. obsolete (tr) to force or constrain

11. 1. to push, pull, or work with violent exertion (upon)

    2. to strive (for)

    3. to balk or scruple (from)

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noun

1. the act or an instance of straining

2. the damage resulting from excessive exertion

3. an intense physical or mental effort

4. music (often plural) a theme, melody, or tune

5. a great demand on the emotions, resources, etc

6. a feeling of tension and tiredness resulting from overwork, worry, etc; stress

7. a particular style or recurring theme in speech or writing

8. physics the change in dimension of a body under load expressed as the ratio of the total deflection or change in dimension to the original unloaded dimension. It may be a ratio of lengths, areas, or volumes

strain ² British  

/ streɪn /

noun

1. the main body of descendants from one ancestor

2. a group of organisms within a species or variety, distinguished by one or more minor characteristics

3. a variety of bacterium or fungus, esp one used for a culture

4. a streak; trace

5. archaic a kind, type, or sort

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strain Scientific  

/ strān /

1. A group of organisms of the same species, sharing certain hereditary characteristics not typical of the entire species but minor enough not to warrant classification as a separate breed or variety. Resistance to specific antibiotics is a feature of certain strains of bacteria.

2. The extent to which a body is distorted when it is subjected to a deforming force, as when under stress. The distortion can involve a change both in shape and in size. All measures of strain are dimensionless (they have no unit of measure).

3. ◆ Axial strain is equal to the ratio between the change in length of an object and its original length.

4. ◆ Volume strain is equal to the ratio between the change in volume of an object and its original volume. It is also called bulk strain.

5. ◆ Shear strain is equal to the ratio between the amount by which an object is skewed and its length.

6. Compare stress See more at Hooke's law

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Synonym Usage

Strain, sprain imply a wrenching, twisting, and stretching of muscles and tendons. To strain is to stretch tightly, make taut, wrench, tear, cause injury to, by long-continued or sudden and too violent effort or movement: to strain one's heart by overexertion, one's eyes by reading small print. To sprain is to strain excessively (but without dislocation) by a sudden twist or wrench, the tendons and muscles connected with a joint, especially those of the ankle or wrist: to sprain an ankle.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• strainless
  adjective
• strainingly
  adverb
• strainlessly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• straining
  present
• strained
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• strain
  simple
• strains
  simple
• have strained
  perfect
• has strained
  perfect
• am straining
  progressive
• are straining
  progressive
• is straining
  progressive
• have been straining
  perfect progressive
• has been straining
  perfect progressive

Past

• strained
  simple
• had strained
  perfect
• was straining
  progressive
• were straining
  progressive
• had been straining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will strain
  simple
• will have strained
  perfect
• will be straining
  progressive
• will have been straining
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of strain¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English streinen (verb), from Old French estrein-, stem of estreindre “to press tightly, grip,” from Latin stringere “to bind, tie, draw tight.” See stringent

Origin of strain²

First recorded before 950; Middle English stren(e), streine “gain, acquisition; sexual intercourse, procreation,” Old English strēon, strīon

Explanation

The noun strain is a stretch, effort, or exertion. You can strain your ankle, or your little brother can strain your patience. This word has many, many meanings. Athletes strain their knees, which strains the emotions of their fans. Usually, you have to strain a little to accomplish anything, like getting an A in math. A strain may also be a line, like a line of ancestry, of thought, or a melodic line in music. Maybe you have to strain to hear the quiet flute in an orchestra. Another meaning is to pass something through a filter, like tea leaves.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

strain strains strained straining

Despite this strain on longer-dated bonds, money was still flowing into the fixed-income market.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

Men in this generation may also have experienced financial strain differently because they were more likely to have been the primary breadwinners in this cohort born in 1946.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026

At the same time, global warming is worsening droughts throughout the West, putting even more strain on scarce water.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Approved vaccines are only effective against the Zaire strain, which is responsible for the largest-known Ebola outbreak to date.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

A metallic tinkling intermingled with new screams as hundreds of the pitching stakes outside uprooted, unable to bear the tent’s new strain.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Underinvestment has led to long deployments, a pilot shortage and strains on ship maintenance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

The notion that he’d ad-lib a mention of Harp, or include one in his prepared remarks without thinking through the possible ramifications, strains believability.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

It could be that the summers of 2024 and 2025 happened to feature new coronavirus strains that spread quickly, like the FLiRT subvariant of 2024 and the Nimbus and Stratus subvariants of 2025, Chin-Hong said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

As Sunday night turned into Monday morning, and the strains of fiddles and flutes drifted through the city streets, people hailed the success of Belfast's first ever All-Ireland Fleadh.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Smoke strains her lungs, deepening, quickening her gasps.

From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Another neighbour, Nigeria, which has more strained relations, said it viewed the situation "with deep concern".

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

Shaia Hosseinzadeh, founder of OnyxPoint Global Management, has recently bought dips in AI-infrastructure stocks when Wall Street has strained to absorb massive debt issued by Silicon Valley.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

He has strained his eyes writing stories in the dark in a deserted gym.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

Prince Harry and Meghan left the UK and stepped back from royal duties in 2020, and family relations have been strained since.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

“Look, I’ll tell you what to do so you and Katherine can come back,” JB said, his voice strained.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

However Werro, straining hard against the clock, could not quite find the finishing pace she needed, clocking 1:53.70.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

For the 30-year bond — often referred to as the long bond — there are signs that yields already are straining what is likely the upper bound.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

Chief Executive David Zaslav opted not to renew the pricey basketball contract as Warner has been straining to pay down debt brought on by its last merger in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Persistent risks to regional shipping could push oil well above $100 a barrel, analysts say, stoking inflation and straining an already fragile global economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Matthias held the lead tightly with both paws, straining backwards as the sparrow dangled and fluttered over Great Hall.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Related Words

• ache
• anxiety
• bruise
• burden
• injury
• pressure
• sprain
• stress
• tension