strand

¹

[strand]

verb (used with object)

1. to drive or leave (a ship, fish, etc.) aground or ashore.

   The receding tide stranded the whale.

2. (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)

1. to be driven or left ashore; run aground.

2. to be halted or struck by a difficult situation.

   He stranded in the middle of his speech.

noun

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

strand

²

[strand]

noun

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

2. a similar part of a wire rope.

3. a rope made of such twisted or plaited fibers.

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

   a single strand of messenger RNA.

5. a thread or threadlike part of anything.

   the strands of a plot.

6. a tress of hair.

7. a string of pearls, beads, etc.

verb (used with object)

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

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

Strand

³

[strand]

noun

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

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

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

strand

¹

/ strænd /

noun

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

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

3. a string of pearls or beads

4. a constituent element in a complex whole

   one strand of her argument

verb

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

strand

²

/ strænd /

verb

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

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

noun

1. a shore or beach

2. a foreign country

Strand

³

/ strænd /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• strandless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of strand¹

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

Origin of strand²

First recorded in 1490–1500; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of strand¹

C15: of uncertain origin

Origin of strand²

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

Example Sentences

They won a game in which they stranded 11 runners.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They worry that a potential glut of global LNG starting in two years could leave U.S. plants underused and molecules stranded at home, which would tank prices.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

For many nature enthusiasts, few scenes are as distressing as finding a stranded whale or dolphin lying helpless on the beach.

Read more on Science Daily

The teams struck out 37 times and stranded 22 men on base, with both sides squandering opportunities to seal a victory.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Instead, it uses a modified version of Cas9 that cuts just one of the complementary strands, opening up a flap where a new sequence can be inserted.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• fiber 
• filament 
• rope 
• string