strait

[ streyt ]

/ streɪt /

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See synonyms for: strait / straiter / straitest on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

Often straits. a position of difficulty, distress, or need: Ill and penniless, he was in sad straits indeed.

Archaic. a narrow passage or area.

an isthmus.

adjective Archaic.

narrow: Strait is the gate.

affording little space; confined in area.

strict, as in requirements or principles.

SYNONYMS FOR strait

2 exigency, pinch, dilemma, predicament, plight.

See synonyms for strait on Thesaurus.com

ANTONYMS FOR strait

2 ease.

See antonyms for strait on Thesaurus.com

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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 strain¹

synonym study for strait

2. See emergency.

OTHER WORDS FROM strait

straitly, adverbstraitness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH strait

straight, strait

Words nearby strait

strain gauge, strain hardening, straining arch, straining piece, straining sill, strait, straiten, straitjacket, strait-lace, strait-laced, Straits dollar

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for strait

The straightest of strait-laced operators – who see search as a powerful and useful customer touchpoint, are tarnished with the same brush as the sketchiest of spammers and scammers who are still alive and well within the industry.
The Panda anniversary and what we desperately must remember about search|Kevin Mullaney|February 24, 2021|Search Engine Watch
I don’t want to downplay the dire straits that our elementary school kids are facing, but I don’t think taking away resources from middle and high schools kids is the answer — at least not in the numbers they are asking.
Principals critical of D.C. school system’s plan to reopen elementary schools|Perry Stein|October 28, 2020|Washington Post
Still, with millions of Americans out of work and in increasingly desperate straits, some lawmakers are growing more vocal with their fears about the risks of not reaching an agreement quickly.
Pelosi walks tightrope in stimulus talks amid pressures of election, economy|Rachael Bade, Erica Werner|October 15, 2020|Washington Post
Prospect officials never disclosed the plan’s dire straits during the state approval process.
Investors Extracted $400 Million From a Hospital Chain That Sometimes Couldn’t Pay for Medical Supplies or Gas for Ambulances|by Peter Elkind with Doris Burke|September 30, 2020|ProPublica

Whatever the cause, the havoc this week leaves some teams, like the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos, in pretty dire straits.
Why Our Model Hates The Lakers|Sarah Shachat|September 22, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
About $10 billion was earmarked to build a bridge across the Kerch Strait, with its unpredictable currents during spring floods.
Putin's Crimea Is a Big Anti-Gay Casino|Anna Nemtsova|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All were led by William Barents, he of the famous strait, who sought to find a shorter trade route from Europe to China.
Pale Fire and the Cold War: Redefining Vladimir Nabokov’s Masterpiece|Michael Weiss|October 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And if the Strait of Hormuz were to be blocked by Iran or any other country or entity, oil prices would skyrocket.
Both Candidates Push Myth of Energy Independence|Robert Bryce|November 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it,” or so says Matthew 7.
The Rage in Bob Dylan's "Tempest"|David Yaffe|September 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
If a conflict with Iran escalated beyond airstrikes to a naval struggle in the Strait of Hormuz, more resources would be diverted.
GOP Candidates Are Wrong to Urge a Second Front War in Iran|Bruce Riedel|January 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The children of thy barrenness shall still say in thy ears: The place is too strait for me, make me room to dwell in.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Departure on the fourth voyage, accompanied by a merchant-ship bound through Torres Strait.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
Directions for the passage within the reefs through Torres Strait.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
And the brave explorer sailed safely through the dangerous strait now named for him.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
On the south-side of Clarence Strait the land is low, like the coast to the eastward.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King

British Dictionary definitions for strait

strait

/ (streɪt) /

noun

(often plural)

a narrow channel of the sea linking two larger areas of sea
(capital as part of a name)the Strait of Gibraltar

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

archaic a narrow place or passage

adjective archaic

(of spaces, etc) affording little room

(of circumstances, etc) limiting or difficult

severe, strict, or scrupulous

Derived forms of strait

straitly, adverbstraitness, noun

Word Origin for strait

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

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 strait

strait

[ strāt ]

n.

A narrow passage, such as the upper or lower opening of the pelvic canal.

Scientific definitions for strait

strait

[ strāt ]

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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