straw

American  

[straw] / strɔ /

noun

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

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

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

4. the negligible value of one such stalk; trifle; least bit.

   not to care a straw.

5. a tube, usually of paper or glass, for sucking up a beverage from a container.

   to sip lemonade through a straw.

6. anything of possible but dubious help in a desperate circumstance.

7. straw man.

8. a straw hat.

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adjective

1. of, pertaining to, containing, or made of straw.

   a straw hat.

2. of the color of straw; pale yellow.

3. of little value or consequence; worthless.

4. sham; fictitious.

idioms

1. 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.

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

straw ¹ British  

/ strɔː /

noun

1. 1. stalks of threshed grain, esp of wheat, rye, oats, or barley, used in plaiting hats, baskets, etc, or as fodder

   2. ( as modifier )

      a straw hat

2. a single dry or ripened stalk, esp of a grass

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

4. (usually used with a negative) anything of little value or importance

   I wouldn't give a straw for our chances

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

6. 1. a pale yellow colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      straw hair

7. a hint or indication

8. a small incident, setback, etc that, coming after others, proves intolerable

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adjective

1. having little value or substance

Straw ² British  

/ strɔː /

noun

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

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straw ³ British  

/ strɔː /

verb

1. archaic another word for strew

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straw More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing straw

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

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Other Word Forms

• strawless adjective
• strawlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of straw

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

Example Sentences

The Fail Mary was merely the final straw.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

When Everton found out their game against Manchester City in May had been moved to a Monday night it was the final straw for a frustrated fanbase.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

He bent down, picked up a straw wrapper and disposed of it in the nearest trash can, then kept walking.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

But in Tawila, an AFP journalist gathered rare testimonies from five former detainees, speaking to them inside fragile shelters of straw and tattered fabric.

From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026

She pointed to the heaping pile of straw in the corner.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff