strait

American  

[streyt] / streɪt /

noun

• straits
  plural

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.

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adjective

Archaic.

1. narrow.

   Strait is the gate.

2. affording little space; confined in area.

3. strict, as in requirements or principles.

strait British  

/ 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

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adjective

1. (of spaces, etc) affording little room

2. (of circumstances, etc) limiting or difficult

3. severe, strict, or scrupulous

strait Scientific  

/ strāt /

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

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Synonym Usage

See emergency.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• straitness
  noun
• straitly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• straits
  plural

Etymology

Origin of strait

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”; see strain ¹

Explanation

A strait is a narrow sea channel or a difficult situation — remember that both are difficult to navigate. If you're stranded on a strait off the Black Sea, you might also say that you're in dire straits. The noun strait comes from the Latin word strictus, meaning "to bind or draw tight." Whether you're describing a narrow passage of water or a tricky situation, a strait will make you feel like you're in tight quarters. You might be familiar with the term "dire straits," which refers an urgent or drastic situation. If all the dorms are overbooked for the fall semester and the off-campus apartments are all rented, you might find yourself in dire straits.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

strait straits

The U.S. military has provided some protection to tankers moving through the strait hugging Oman’s coast, and ship-to-ship transfers have been a growing way to get crude flowing out of the Middle East again.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

The agency also found that oil production slipped by 1.6 million barrels per day month-on-month to 100.1 million barrels in August as shipping through the strait remained constrained.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

The strait is a chokepoint for energy exports through the Red Sea.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Saudi and Yemeni officials said the Houthis are now nearing complete control of the coast along the Bab al-Mandeb strait that links the Red Sea to big Saudi oil markets in Asia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

She was drowned; and the strait was named for her: the Sea of Helle, the Hellespont.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

But he does stress that the smallest seed of hope is what allows us to maintain our humanity, compassion and desire for companionship, even in the most dire straits.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

Bye - who has a six-year-old dalmatian, two springer spaniels and a cat - said her family were "financially stable" when they got their pets but a year later were in "dire straits".

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

There is no indication that either insurer is in such dire straits.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

After a long career as a college professor in Camagüey, Maria Antonia Borroto didn’t think she would ever be in such dire straits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

As the colonists crossed the straits separating each Indonesian island from the next one to the east, they adapted anew, filled up that next island, and went on to colonize the next island again.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• predicament