strait

[streyt]

noun

1. (used with a singular verb),  Often straits. a narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water.

2. Often straits. a position of difficulty, distress, or need.

   Ill and penniless, he was in sad straits indeed.

   Synonyms: plight, predicament, dilemma, pinch, exigency
   Antonyms: ease

3. Archaic.,  a narrow passage or area.

4. an isthmus.

adjective

Archaic.

1. narrow.

   Strait is the gate.

2. affording little space; confined in area.

3. strict, as in requirements or principles.

strait

/ streɪt /

noun

1. (often plural)

   1. a narrow channel of the sea linking two larger areas of sea

   2. ( capital as part of a name )

      the Strait of Gibraltar

2. (often plural) a position of acute difficulty (often in the phrase in dire or desperate straits )

3. archaic,  a narrow place or passage

adjective

1. (of spaces, etc) affording little room

2. (of circumstances, etc) limiting or difficult

3. severe, strict, or scrupulous

strait

1. A narrow waterway joining two larger bodies of water. The Strait of Gibraltar, for example, connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean.

Other Word Forms

• straitly adverb
• straitness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of strait¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English streit “narrow, a strait,” from Old French estreit “narrow, tight,” from Latin strictus, past participle of stringere “to tighten, bind”; strain ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of strait¹

C13: from Old French estreit narrow, from Latin strictus constricted, from stringere to bind tightly

Synonym Study

See emergency.

Example Sentences

Then, a massive flood burst through volcanic barriers to open the Bab el-Mandab strait and reconnect the Red Sea with the world's oceans.

Read more on Science Daily

“I’m calling it what it is,” said Barger, noting that school districts across the state now find themselves in similarly dire financial straits.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Several firms were already in dire financial straits.

Read more on BBC

About a year later, a second canine appears to have made the trip, potentially enticed by the first coyote’s calls echoing across the strait, she said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Put it all together, and the U.S. economy is in dire straits, possibly heading toward a shoal.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• predicament