straw

[ straw ]

/ strɔ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR straw ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a single stalk or stem, especially of certain species of grain, chiefly wheat, rye, oats, and barley.

a mass of such stalks, especially after drying and threshing, used as fodder.

material, fibers, etc., made from such stalks, as used for making hats or baskets.

the negligible value of one such stalk; trifle; least bit: not to care a straw.

a tube, usually of paper or glass, for sucking up a beverage from a container: to sip lemonade through a straw.

anything of possible but dubious help in a desperate circumstance.

straw man (def. 2).

a straw hat.

adjective

of, pertaining to, containing, or made of straw: a straw hat.

of the color of straw; pale yellow.

of little value or consequence; worthless.

sham; fictitious.

QUIZZES

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Question 1 of 7

What does "scattergood" mean?

a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.

a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.

a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.

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Idioms for straw

catch / clutch / grasp at a straw / straws / any straw(s), to seize at any chance, no matter how slight, of saving oneself from calamity.

draw straws, to decide by lottery using straws or strawlike items of different lengths, usually with the short straw or straws determining the person chosen or the loser.

Origin of straw

before 950; Middle English; Old English strēaw; cognate with German Stroh; akin to strew

OTHER WORDS FROM straw

strawless, adjectivestrawlike, adjective

Words nearby straw

stravage, stravaig, Stravinskian, Stravinsky, Stravinsky, Igor, straw, strawberry, strawberry bass, strawberry blite, strawberry blond, strawberry blonde

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for straw

Exactly one month after the first straw goat was erected in Gävle, it was mysteriously burned to a crisp.
Sweden’s Burning Christmas Goat|Nina Strochlic|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I thanked him, sat down on the sofa, and sipped it through the straw.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hana seeks refuge from the buzzing lights of Otome Road in a nearby café and makes another swirl with her straw.
The Japanese Women Who Love Gay Anime|Brandon Presser|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She slowly moves her straw through the whipped cream in her designer latte and looks up.
The Japanese Women Who Love Gay Anime|Brandon Presser|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A Saudi Arabian television ad for Viagra shows a man struggling to push a straw through the lid of his beverage.
Laughter Will Be the Legacy of Viagra|Samantha Allen|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I belong so much to the stunned sleepers in the straw who cannot feel.
A Journal of Impressions in Belgium|May Sinclair
Another method of keeping the straw in place is by stretching binder twine directly over the row.
The Gladiolus|Matthew Crawford
Susan took her horse there; loosened his girths, and rubbed him down with a wisp of straw.
Half a Life-time Ago|Elizabeth Gaskell
Color flew into her thin cheeks, and the eyes that stared at Hazel's straw tam-o'-shanter grew dim.
Jewel's Story Book|Clara Louise Burnham
A bundle of straw, tied with a rope, is brought into the courtyard and left to stand there near the Yule logs.
Balder The Beautiful, Vol. I.|Sir James George Frazer

British Dictionary definitions for straw (1 of 3)

straw¹

/ (strɔː) /

noun

stalks of threshed grain, esp of wheat, rye, oats, or barley, used in plaiting hats, baskets, etc, or as fodder
(as modifier)a straw hat

a single dry or ripened stalk, esp of a grass

a long thin hollow paper or plastic tube or stem of a plant, used for sucking up liquids into the mouth

(usually used with a negative) anything of little value or importanceI wouldn't give a straw for our chances

a measure or remedy that one turns to in desperation (esp in the phrases clutch or grasp at a straw or straws)

a pale yellow colour
(as adjective)straw hair

straw in the wind a hint or indication

the last straw a small incident, setback, etc that, coming after others, proves intolerable