straw
noun
a single stalk or stem, especially of certain species of grain, chiefly wheat, rye, oats, and barley.
straw
American
[straw]
/ strɔ /
noun
-
straws
plural
-
a single stalk or stem, especially of certain species of grain, chiefly wheat, rye, oats, and barley.
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a mass of such stalks, especially after drying and threshing, used as fodder.
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material, fibers, etc., made from such stalks, as used for making hats or baskets.
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the negligible value of one such stalk; trifle; least bit.
not to care a straw.
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a tube, usually of paper or glass, for sucking up a beverage from a container.
to sip lemonade through a straw.
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anything of possible but dubious help in a desperate circumstance.
-
a straw hat.
adjective
-
of, pertaining to, containing, or made of straw.
a straw hat.
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of the color of straw; pale yellow.
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of little value or consequence; worthless.
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sham; fictitious.
idioms
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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.
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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
-
-
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
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a single dry or ripened stalk, esp of a grass
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a long thin hollow paper or plastic tube or stem of a plant, used for sucking up liquids into the mouth
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(usually used with a negative) anything of little value or importance
I wouldn't give a straw for our chances
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a measure or remedy that one turns to in desperation (esp in the phrases clutch or grasp at a straw or straws )
-
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a pale yellow colour
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( as adjective )
straw hair
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a hint or indication
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a small incident, setback, etc that, coming after others, proves intolerable
adjective
Straw
2
British
/ strɔː /
noun
straw
3
British
/ strɔː /
verb
straw
More Idioms
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Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of straw
before 950; Middle English; Old English strēaw; cognate with German Stroh; akin to strew
Explanation
Straw is a fiber made from dried plant stalks. Horses love it. People make baskets, hats, bedding, fuel, and much more from straw. But not drinking straws —those are usually plastic. Many farm animals have sleeping areas lined with straw. This stiff, dry fiber is also added to animal feed, pressed into bricks that can be burned as fuel, and even made into bales that can comprise the walls of a home. Straw is what's left over when the grain and chaff have been removed from cereal plants like wheat. The Old English streaw literally means "that which is scattered or strewn." As a color, straw is light yellowish beige.
Vocabulary lists containing straw
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
As Europe bakes in yet another heatwave, German winegrower Florian Weingart has scattered straw on the ground to keep moisture trapped in the earth and protect his prized vines from extreme temperatures.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
"That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I wanted to take action."
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
I am now carrying a gorgeous straw tote and wearing linen that has somehow survived public transit without acquiring a wrinkle.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
They examined agricultural residues such as wheat straw and leftover corn.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Then I found an empty stall and made myself a nest of straw.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
"It was previously known that the directional information in the waggle dance is not entirely accurate," explains Straw.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026
"It is the first time in my life that I experience a total closure" of the Holy Sepulchre, Jack Straw, a 52-year-old resident of Jerusalem’s Old City, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Apr. 5, 2026
The "whatever" note "was not a good idea", his then Foreign Secretary Jack Straw later told me.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026
The second, Netflix’s “One Piece,” which returns March 10, follows the ragtag Straw Hat Pirates of executive producer Eiichiro Oda’s manga series as they pursue the valuable One Piece treasure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2026
Straw was laid down outside the doors of the farmhouse, and the animals walked on tiptoe.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
It's clutching at straws to try to look for France weaknesses because at times you watch open-mouthed in amazement when the front four is in full flow.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
“We’re grabbing for straws, trying to develop something,” an officer told the New York Times within 24 hours of the bombing.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
And, if you’re feeling playful, a whimsical bread: miniature muffins, pesto pull-apart bread, chickpea flour flatbreads, cheese straws, popovers — something that makes people point across the table and say, “Wait, what are those?”
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Some kitemakers have success with straws, but straws typically work better with diamond-shaped kites.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026
I stick in one of those long wiggly plastic straws that Mom kept from when I was four and sit on the window ledge in the living room, sipping slowly while smiling at the birds.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
