stranded

¹

[stran-did]

adjective

1. left helpless or without transport.

   Officials said many people remained stranded even though floodwaters were receding.

   Synonyms: abandoned, left in the lurch, forsaken, deserted

stranded

²

[stran-did]

adjective

1. composed of a specified number or kind of strands (usually used in combination).

   a five-stranded rope.

Other Word Forms

• strandedness noun
• unstranded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stranded¹

First recorded in 1700–10 in its literal sense “run or driven ashore,” and in its figurative sense in 1850–55; strand ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Origin of stranded²

First recorded in 1805–15; strand ² + -ed ³

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

When Sam Nia and his wife arrived at their hotel in Nuuk, they were welcomed into a confederacy of stranded tourists whose flights had been unable to get out for days.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• aground 
• ashore 
• grounded 
• helpless 
• wrecked