straw

[ straw ]

/ strɔ /

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See synonyms for: straw / strawer / strawest 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.

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Idioms about 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. 2023

How to use straw in a sentence

For years, the top complaint about the product was that people lost the little red straw that came with each can.
20 ingenious uses for WD-40|By Bill Heavey/Field & Stream|February 11, 2021|Popular-Science
They’re like high-end veggie straws you get in the snack aisle.
5 Delicious Snacks You Can Forage in the City|Vanessa Hua|February 7, 2021|Outside Online
For a surface with boundary, such as a straw with its two boundary circles, each cut must begin and end on a boundary.
Topology 101: The Hole Truth|David S. Richeson|January 26, 2021|Quanta Magazine
She was a tough act to follow, and the guy who drew the short straw was Garth Brooks.
Inauguration Musical Performances Are Tricky. But Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks Did Exactly What We Needed Them to Do|Stephanie Zacharek|January 20, 2021|Time

Such defiance from the tech giants was a final straw for Museveni.
Authoritarians have a love-hate relationship with social media|Yinka Adegoke|January 16, 2021|Quartz
Most of it is taken up by a graphic inviting the visitor to participate in the 2016 online presidential straw poll.
Today’s GOP: Still Cool With Racist Pandering?|Michael Tomasky|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
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
Poor Squinty ran and tried to hide under the straw, for he knew the boy was talking about him.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
He reached up for her big, rough straw hat that hung on a peg outside the door, and put it on her head.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
In fact, so much of her smooth brow as could be seen under a broad-brimmed straw hat was wrinkled in a decided frown.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
He put on his big straw hat, and taking his umbrella from the stand in the hall, followed the lady in black, never overtaking her.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The clear, straw-colored fluid which is left after separation of the coagulum is called blood-serum.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

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

adjective

mainly US having little value or substance

Derived forms of straw

strawlike, adjective

Word Origin for straw

Old English streaw; related to Old Norse strā, Old Frisian strē, Old High German strō; see strew

British Dictionary definitions for straw (2 of 3)

straw²

/ (strɔː) /

verb

archaic another word for strew

British Dictionary definitions for straw (3 of 3)

Straw

/ (strɔː) /

noun

Jack, full name John Whitaker Straw. born 1946, British Labour politician; Home Secretary (1997–2001); Foreign Secretary (2001–06); Lord Chancellor (2007–10)

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with straw

straw

In addition to the idioms beginning with straw

straw boss
straw in the wind
straw that breaks the camel's back
straw vote

also see:

draw straws
grasp at straws
last straw
make bricks without straw
not worth a dime (straw)

straw

Idioms about straw

Origin of straw

OTHER WORDS FROM straw

Words nearby straw

Words related to straw

How to use straw in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for straw (1 of 3)

Derived forms of straw

Word Origin for straw

British Dictionary definitions for straw (2 of 3)

British Dictionary definitions for straw (3 of 3)

Other Idioms and Phrases with straw