strain

[ streyn ]

/ streɪn /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR strain ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to draw tight or taut, especially to the utmost tension; stretch to the full: to strain a rope.

to exert to the utmost: to strain one's ears to catch a sound.

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

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

to stretch beyond the proper point or limit: to strain the meaning of a word.

to make excessive demands upon: to strain one's luck; to strain one's resources.

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.

to draw off (clear or pure liquid) by means of a filter or sieve: to strain the water from spinach; to strain broth.

to hold back (solid particles) from liquid matter by means of a filter or sieve: to strain seeds from orange juice; to strain rice.

to clasp tightly in the arms, the hand, etc.: The mother strained her child close to her breast.

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

verb (used without object)

to pull forcibly: a dog straining at a leash.

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

to make violent physical efforts; strive hard.

to resist forcefully; balk: to strain at accepting an unpleasant fact.

to be subjected to tension or stress; suffer strain.

to filter, percolate, or ooze.

to trickle or flow: Sap strained from the bark.

noun

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

strong muscular or physical effort.

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

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

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

condition of being strained or stretched.

a task, goal, or effect accomplished only with great effort: Housecleaning is a real strain.

severe, trying, or fatiguing pressure or exertion; taxing onus: the strain of hard work.

a severe demand on or test of resources, feelings, a person, etc.: a strain on one's hospitality.

a flow or burst of language, eloquence, etc.: the lofty strain of Cicero.

Often strains. a passage of melody, music, or songs as rendered or heard: the strains of the nightingale.

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

a passage or piece of poetry.

the tone, style, or spirit of an utterance, writing, etc.: a humorous strain.

a particular degree, height, or pitch attained: a strain of courageous enthusiasm.

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What does “blatherskite” mean?

a person given to voluble, empty talk.

an ancient Greek or Roman farce that depended for effect largely upon ludicrous actions and gestures.

a check whose amount has been raised by forgery before cashing.

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Origin of strain

First recorded in1250–1300; 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

SYNONYMS FOR strain

1 tighten.

7 filter, sieve.

10 hug, embrace, press.

17 seep.

20 exertion.

22 wrench.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR strain ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for strain

3. 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 WORDS FROM strain

strain·ing·ly, adverbstrainless, adjectivestrain·less·ly, adverb

Words nearby strain

straight ticket, straight time, straight up, straightway, straight whiskey, strain, strained, strainer, strain fracture, strain gauge, strain hardening

Definition for strain (2 of 2)

strain²

[ streyn ]

/ streɪn /

noun

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

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

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.

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

a variety, especially of microorganisms.

ancestry or descent.

hereditary or natural character, tendency, or trait: a strain of insanity in a family.

a streak or trace.

a kind or sort.

Obsolete. procreation.

Origin of strain

before 950; Middle English strene,Old English strēon lineage, stock, tribe; akin to strīenan to beget

SYNONYMS FOR strain

7 streak, vein, predisposition.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for strain

Dayes’ hollow-sounding drum rolls and Misch’s soft vocals present a mesmeric groove that is refreshing and an unique break from the stresses and strains coming from those who live only to harm anything in sight.
Georgia Anne Muldrow’s 10 Freedom Songs wqWill Have You Activated|Joi-Marie McKenzie|August 28, 2020|Essence.com
Most cytomegaloviruses don’t cause disease, and each strain has evolved to infect only one species, so the risk of a cytomegalovirus vaccine jumping between species is very low.
Can Vaccines for Wildlife Prevent Human Pandemics?|Rodrigo Pérez Ortega|August 24, 2020|Quanta Magazine
We’re home to a strain of “innocent optimism,” the Post insisted.
Politics Report: A Poll and a Court Ruling in Key Council Race|Scott Lewis|August 22, 2020|Voice of San Diego
American and global health authorities pick the flu strains to target, drugmakers manufacture the shots, and they’re given by workplaces, schools, drugstores, local public-health departments, physicians and hospitals.
U.S. will conduct an unofficial dry run of a COVID-19 vaccine campaign this fall|Claire Zillman, reporter|August 19, 2020|Fortune

The vaccine, known as BCG or bacillus Calmette-Guérin, is composed of a weakened strain of Mycobacterium bovis, a bacterium that infects cattle and is closely related to Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Our Genes May Explain Severity of COVID-19 and Other Infections|Monique Brouillette|July 27, 2020|Quanta Magazine
I strain and push and pedal and wonder, “When will this end?”
Biking With the Bard|Kara Cutruzzula|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However we strain to distract ourselves, our consciousness of death heightens our awareness of evil.
McConaughey’s ‘Stand’—And Ours|James Poulos|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even before his injury, the strain had begun to tell on him.
When West Point Football Turned Fatal|Nicolaus Mills|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This point has merit, but quickly begins to strain after the application of any sort of pressure.
There She Is! Deport the Miss America Pageant.|Amy Zimmerman|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I am just so convinced that junk food and high sugar food are undermining the health of people…It caused a lot of strain.
Why the Rockefellers Rejected Big Oil|Tim Mak|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A man does not really know, until he gets out of the office, what the strain is.
Ethics in Service|William Howard Taft
This was not in the strain of hireling praise; but the genuine tribute of esteem and admiration.
The Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves|Tobias Smollett
Cook beans till well done, strain off the water, and set aside to cool.
The Vegetarian Cook Book|E. G. Fulton
Remove the bouquet garni, strain the broth through a fine sieve and return to the pot.
The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book|Victor Hirtzler
I was always conscious of sounds in Nature which my ears could not hear, that I caught but a prelude to a strain.
A History of American Literature Since 1870|Fred Lewis Pattee

British Dictionary definitions for strain (1 of 2)

strain¹

/ (streɪn) /

verb

to draw or be drawn taut; stretch tight

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

to injure or damage or be injured or damaged by overexertionhe strained himself

to deform or be deformed as a result of a stress

(intr) to make intense or violent efforts; strive

to subject or be subjected to mental tension or stress

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

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

(tr) to clasp tightly; hug

(tr) obsolete to force or constrain

(intr foll by at)

to push, pull, or work with violent exertion (upon)
to strive (for)
to balk or scruple (from)

noun

the act or an instance of straining

the damage resulting from excessive exertion

an intense physical or mental effort

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

a great demand on the emotions, resources, etc

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

a particular style or recurring theme in speech or writing

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

Word Origin for strain

C13: from Old French estreindre to press together, from Latin stringere to bind tightly

British Dictionary definitions for strain (2 of 2)

strain²

/ (streɪn) /

noun

the main body of descendants from one ancestor

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

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

a streak; trace

archaic a kind, type, or sort

Word Origin for strain

Old English strēon; related to Old High German gistriuni gain, Latin struere to construct

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

Medical definitions for strain (1 of 2)

strain 1¹

[ strān ]

v.

To pull, draw, or stretch tight.

To stretch or exert one's muscles or nerves to the utmost.

To injure or impair by overuse or overexertion; wrench.

To filter, trickle, percolate, or ooze.

To pass a liquid through a filtering agent such as a strainer.

To draw off or remove by filtration.

n.

The act of straining.

The state of being strained.

Extreme or laborious effort.

A great or excessive pressure, demand, or stress on one's body, mind, or resources.

A wrench, twist, or other physical injury resulting from excessive tension, effort, or use.

Medical definitions for strain (2 of 2)

strain 2²

[ strān ]

n.

The collective descendants of a common ancestor; a race, stock, line, or breed.

Any of the various lines of ancestry united in an individual or a family; ancestry or lineage.

A group of organisms of the same species, having distinctive characteristics but not usually considered a separate breed or variety.

An artificial variety of a domestic animal or cultivated plant.

Scientific definitions for strain

strain

[ strān ]

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.

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).♦ Axial strain is equal to the ratio between the change in length of an object and its original length.♦ 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.♦ Shear strain is equal to the ratio between the amount by which an object is skewed and its length. Compare stress. See more at Hooke's law.

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strain

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

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synonym study for strain

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Definition for strain (2 of 2)

noun

Origin of strain

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British Dictionary definitions for strain (1 of 2)

verb

noun

Word Origin for strain

British Dictionary definitions for strain (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for strain

Medical definitions for strain (1 of 2)

v.

n.

Medical definitions for strain (2 of 2)

n.

Scientific definitions for strain

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

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WORD OF THE DAY

strain

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

QUIZZES

FOR LEXICAL ALIMENTATION, TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Origin of strain

SYNONYMS FOR strain

synonym study for strain

OTHER WORDS FROM strain

Words nearby strain

Definition for strain (2 of 2)

noun

Origin of strain

SYNONYMS FOR strain

Words related to strain

Example sentences from the Web for strain

British Dictionary definitions for strain (1 of 2)

verb

noun

Word Origin for strain

British Dictionary definitions for strain (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for strain

Medical definitions for strain (1 of 2)

v.

n.

Medical definitions for strain (2 of 2)

n.

Scientific definitions for strain