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.

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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

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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

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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

Iraq's economy is heavily dependent on its energy exports, which almost entirely rely on transport through the strait.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

In September, about 40% of the non-Iranian crude shipped out of the Gulf bypassed the strait, compared with 17% before the war, Kpler estimated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

About 12.6 million barrels per day went through the strait on 13 October, below the 15 million reported at the end of September, data from trade intelligence firm Kpler shows.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

As the number of strikes has risen, the recovery in oil shipments through the strait seen last month has slowed, industry data suggests.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

He drank what water he had left in the sealskin pouch, and steered around the westernmost headland until he came into a wide strait between it and a second island lying to the west.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

For decades, Chinese leaders have worried about the country’s heavy reliance on imported crude, most of which transits through straits that the U.S. or other militaries could seek to block in a conflict.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

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

Getting to see one is a special occasion, he said, especially given the dire straits the fish are in worldwide.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

I would be in the direst of dire straits, facing a bleak future, when some small thing, some detail, would transform itself and appear in my mind in a new light.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

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Related Words

• predicament

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