strand

[strand]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR strand ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to drive or leave (a ship, fish, etc.) aground or ashore: The receding tide stranded the whale.

(usually used in the passive) to bring into or leave in a helpless position: He was stranded in the middle of nowhere.

verb (used without object)

to be driven or left ashore; run aground.

to be halted or struck by a difficult situation: He stranded in the middle of his speech.

noun

the land bordering the sea, a lake, or a river; shore; beach.

Nearby words

Origin of strand

before 1000; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with Dutch strand, German Strand, Old Norse strǫnd; akin to strew

strand

[strand]

noun

one of a number of fibers, threads, or yarns that are plaited or twisted together to form a rope, cord, or the like.

a similar part of a wire rope.

a rope made of such twisted or plaited fibers.

a fiber or filament, as in animal or plant tissue.

a thread or threadlike part of anything: the strands of a plot.

a tress of hair.

a string of pearls, beads, etc.

verb (used with object)

to form (a rope, cable, etc.) by twisting strands together.

to break one or more strands of (a rope).

Origin of strand

First recorded in 1490–1500; origin uncertain

Related formsstrand·less, adjective

Strand

[strand]

noun

Mark,1934–2014, U.S. poet, born in Canada: U.S. poet laureate 1990–91.

Paul,1890–1976, U.S. photographer and documentary-film producer.

the, a street parallel to the Thames, in W central London, England: famous for hotels and theaters.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for strand

Using standard methods, the cost of printing DNA could run upwards of a billion dollars or more, depending on the strand.
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Later in the film, when she comes on wearing a strand of pearls, he snorts, “She looks like the queen.”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The beads are also a risk in and of themselves if the strand breaks.
Kids Eat the Darndest Things: Laundry Pods, Teething Necklaces, and More Of The Weirdest Stuff Sending Kids to the E.R.|Russell Saunders|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That's why Britain, as a nation, can't handle it when a strand is out of place.
Why Kate's Hair Matters|Tom Sykes|July 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

At the lower right corner, one can see that Level D is where the “guru” strand A3 finally met its demise.
A Mathematically Impossible Novel: Manil Suri Explains “The City of Devi”|Manil Suri|March 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Winn was as much alone as if he had dropped from Charing Cross into the Strand.
The Dark Tower|Phyllis Bottome
Dudley stared into his face for a few seconds inquiringly, and then quietly hooked his arm and led him along the Strand.
The Wharf by the Docks|Florence Warden
They warily drew near, and descried a female figure in wild attire waving signals from the strand.
Old Quebec|Sir Gilbert Parker and Claude Glennon Bryan
There wander'd a lady upon the strand, Her fair hair bound with a golden band.
Sintram and His Companions|Friedrich de la Motte Fouque
He hurried up to Strand's room, but, as he had expected, found it empty.
Tales From Two Hemispheres|Hjalmar Hjorth Boysen

British Dictionary definitions for strand

strand

verb

to leave or drive (ships, fish, etc) aground or ashore or (of ships, fish, etc) to be left or driven ashore

(tr; usually passive) to leave helpless, as without transport or money, etc

noun mainly poetic

a shore or beach

a foreign country

Word Origin for strand

Old English; related to Old Norse strönd side, Middle High German strant beach, Latin sternere to spread

noun

a set of or one of the individual fibres or threads of string, wire, etc, that form a rope, cable, etc

a single length of string, hair, wool, wire, etc

a string of pearls or beads

a constituent element in a complex wholeone strand of her argument

verb

(tr) to form (a rope, cable, etc) by winding strands together

Word Origin for strand

C15: of uncertain origin

Strand

noun

the Strand a street in W central London, parallel to the Thames: famous for its hotels and theatres

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

Word Origin and History for strand

strand

n.1

"shore," Old English strand, from Proto-Germanic *strandas (cf. Danish and Swedish strand "beach, shore, strand," Old Norse strönd "border, edge, shore," Middle Low German strant, German Strand, Dutch strand "beach"), perhaps from PIE root *ster- "to stretch out." Strictly, the part of a shore that lies between the tide-marks. Formerly also used of river banks, hence the London street name (1246).

strand

n.2

"fiber of a rope, string, etc.," late 15c., probably from Old French estran, from a Germanic source akin to Old High German streno "lock, tress, strand of hair," Middle Dutch strene, German Strähne "skein, strand," of unknown origin.

1620s, "to drive aground on a shore," from strand (n.1); figurative sense of "leave helpless" is first recorded 1837. Related: Stranded; stranding.

strand

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of strand

strand

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of strand

Strand

noun

Examples from the Web for strand

strand

verb

noun mainly poetic

Word Origin for strand

noun

verb

Word Origin for strand

Strand

noun

strand

strand