strait

American  

[strayt] / 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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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

Tracking data shows the ship was anchored at the southern end of the Bosphorus strait until Monday when it entered the Black Sea heading north.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Refined products such as diesel and gasoline accounted for 11% of overall flows through the strait, down from more than 20% before the conflict, as damage to Middle Eastern refineries continued to constrain fuel supplies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Most of the vessels the U.S. has escorted through the strait thus far have been what are known as VLCCs, or Very Large Crude Carriers, that can transport about 2 million barrels of crude.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Vessels using the Suez Canal must pass through the strait to reach the Mediterranean Sea to the north or Arabian Sea to the south.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

She’d come down the strait plotting soundings as she went, but the pilot would not put his faith in this, and at 0126 hours that morning, in heavy fog, had radioed the lighthouse for assistance.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

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

Japan isn’t in the same economic straits as Argentina.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 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