strong

[ strawng, strong ]
See synonyms for strong on Thesaurus.com
adjective,strong·er [strawng-ger, strong-], /ˈstrɔŋ gər, ˈstrɒŋ-/, strong·est [strawng-gist, strong-]. /ˈstrɔŋ gɪst, ˈstrɒŋ-/.
  1. having, showing, or able to exert great bodily or muscular power; physically vigorous or robust: a strong boy.

  2. accompanied or delivered by great physical, mechanical, etc., power or force: a strong handshake;With one strong blow the machine stamped out a fender.

  1. mentally powerful or vigorous: He may be old, but his mind is still strong.

  2. especially able, competent, or powerful in a specific field or respect: She's very strong in mathematics.He's weak at bat, but he's a strong fielder.

  3. of great moral power, firmness, or courage: strong under temptation.

  4. powerful in influence, authority, resources, or means of prevailing or succeeding: a strong nation.

  5. aggressive; willful: a strong personality.

  6. of great force, effectiveness, potency, or cogency; compelling: strong reasons;strong arguments.

  7. clear and firm; loud: He has a strong voice.

  8. solid or stable; healthy; thriving: The banker predicted a strong economy.

  9. well-supplied or rich in something specific: a strong hand in trumps.

  10. having powerful means to resist attack, assault, or aggression: a strong fortress;a strong defense.

  11. able to resist strain, force, wear, etc.: strong walls;strong cloth.

  12. decisively unyielding; firm or uncompromising: She has strong views about the United Nations. He has a strong sense of duty.

  13. fervent; zealous; thoroughgoing: He's a strong Democrat.

  14. strenuous or energetic; vigorous: strong efforts.

  15. moving or acting with force or vigor: strong winds.

  16. distinct or marked; vivid, as impressions, resemblance or contrast: He bears a strong resemblance to his grandfather.

  17. intense, as light or color.

  18. having a large proportion of the effective or essential properties or ingredients; concentrated: strong tea.

  19. (of a beverage or food) containing much alcohol: strong drink; The fruitcake was too strong.

  20. having a high degree of flavor or odor: strong cheese;strong perfume.

  21. having an unpleasant or offensive flavor or odor, especially in the process of decay: strong butter.

  22. of a designated number: Marines 20,000 strong.

  23. Commerce. characterized by steady or advancing prices: The market resumed its strong pace after yesterday's setback.

  24. Grammar.

    • (of Germanic verbs) having vowel change in the root in inflected forms, as the English verbs sing, sang, sung; ride, rode, ridden.

    • (of Germanic nouns and adjectives) inflected with endings that are generally distinctive of case, number, and gender, as German alter Mann “old man.”

    • belonging to the morphophonemically less regular of two inflectional subtypes.

  25. (of a word or syllable) stressed.

  26. Optics. having great magnifying or refractive power: a strong microscope.

adverb
  1. strongly.

Idioms about strong

  1. come on strong, Slang. to behave in an aggressive, ardent, or flamboyant manner: When you're interviewed for the job, don't come on too strong.

Origin of strong

1
First recorded before 900; (adjective) Middle English strang, strong, Old English; cognate with Middle Dutch stranc, Old Norse strangr; (adverb) Middle English strange, stronge, Old English; cognate with Old High German strango; akin to string

Other words for strong

Opposites for strong

Other words from strong

  • strongish, adjective
  • strongly, adverb
  • strongness, noun
  • o·ver·strong, adjective
  • o·ver·strong·ly, adverb
  • o·ver·strong·ness, noun
  • self-strong, adjective
  • su·per·strong, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for strong

strong

/ (strɒŋ) /


adjectivestronger (ˈstrɒŋɡə) or strongest (ˈstrɒŋɡɪst)
  1. involving or possessing physical or mental strength

  2. solid or robust in construction; not easily broken or injured

  1. having a resolute will or morally firm and incorruptible character

  2. intense in quality; not faint or feeble: a strong voice; a strong smell

  3. easily defensible; incontestable or formidable

  4. concentrated; not weak or diluted

    • (postpositive) containing or having a specified number: a navy 40 000 strong

    • (in combination): a 40 000-strong navy

  5. having an unpleasantly powerful taste or smell

  6. having an extreme or drastic effect: strong discipline

  7. emphatic or immoderate: strong language

  8. convincing, effective, or cogent

  9. (of a colour) having a high degree of saturation or purity; being less saturated than a vivid colour but more so than a moderate colour; produced by a concentrated quantity of colouring agent

  10. grammar

    • denoting or belonging to a class of verbs, in certain languages including the Germanic languages, whose conjugation shows vowel gradation, as sing, sang, sung

    • belonging to any part-of-speech class, in any of various languages, whose inflections follow the less regular of two possible patterns: Compare weak (def. 10)

  11. (of a wind, current, etc) moving fast

  12. (of a syllable) accented or stressed

  13. (of an industry, market, currency, securities, etc) firm in price or characterized by firm or increasing prices

  14. (of certain acids and bases) producing high concentrations of hydrogen or hydroxide ions in aqueous solution

  15. Irish prosperous; well-to-do (esp in the phrase a strong farmer)

  16. have a strong stomach not to be prone to nausea

adverb
  1. informal in a strong way; effectively: going strong

  2. come on strong to make a forceful or exaggerated impression

Origin of strong

1
Old English strang; related to Old Norse strangr, Middle High German strange, Lettish strans courageous

Derived forms of strong

  • strongish, adjective
  • strongly, adverb
  • strongness, noun

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 strong

strong

In addition to the idioms beginning with strong

  • strong point
  • strong silent type
  • strong suit

also see:

  • come on strong

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.