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Definition of Strain in English :

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Strain meaning in English

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Strain

see synonyms of strain

Noun

1. strain

(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces

2. strain, stress

difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension

Example Sentences:
'she endured the stresses and strains of life'
'he presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger'

3. air, line, melodic line, melodic phrase, melody, strain, tune

a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence

Example Sentences:
'she was humming an air from Beethoven'

4. mental strain, nervous strain, strain

(psychology) nervousness resulting from mental stress

Example Sentences:
'his responsibilities were a constant strain'
'the mental strain of staying alert hour after hour was too much for him'

5. breed, stock, strain

a special variety of domesticated animals within a species

Example Sentences:
'he experimented on a particular breed of white rats'
'he created a new strain of sheep'

6. form, strain, var., variant

(biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups

Example Sentences:
'a new strain of microorganisms'

7. strain

injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse); results in swelling and pain

8. strain, tenor

the general meaning or substance of an utterance

Example Sentences:
'although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument'

9. nisus, pains, strain, striving

an effortful attempt to attain a goal

10. strain, straining

an intense or violent exertion

11. song, strain

the act of singing

Example Sentences:
'with a shout and a song they marched up to the gates'

Verb

12. reach, strain, strive

to exert much effort or energy

Example Sentences:
'straining our ears to hear'

13. strain, stress, try

test the limits of

Example Sentences:
'You are trying my patience!'

14. extend, strain

use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity

Example Sentences:
'He really extended himself when he climbed Kilimanjaro'
'Don't strain your mind too much'

15. sieve, sift, strain

separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements

Example Sentences:
'sift the flour'

16. strain, tense, tense up

cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious

Example Sentences:
'he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up'

17. strain, tense

become stretched or tense or taut

Example Sentences:
'the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed;'
'the rope strained when the weight was attached'

18. filter, filter out, filtrate, separate out, strain

remove by passing through a filter

Example Sentences:
'filter out the impurities'

19. puree, strain

rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender

Example Sentences:
'puree the vegetables for the baby'

20. deform, distort, strain

alter the shape of (something) by stress

Example Sentences:
'His body was deformed by leprosy'

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Strain

see synonyms of strain
verb
1. 
to draw or be drawn taut; stretch tight
2. 
to exert, tax, or use (resources) to the utmost extent
3. 
to injure or damage or be injured or damaged by overexertion
he strained himself
4. 
to deform or be deformed as a result of a stress
5. (intransitive)
to make intense or violent efforts; strive
6. 
to subject or be subjected to mental tension or stress
7. 
to pour or pass (a substance) or (of a substance) to be poured or passed through a sieve, filter, or strainer
8. (transitive)
to draw off or remove (one part of a substance or mixture from another) by or as if by filtering
9. (transitive)
to clasp tightly; hug
10. (transitive) obsolete
to force or constrain
11. (intransitive; foll by at)
a. 
to push, pull, or work with violent exertion (upon)
b. 
to strive (for)
c. 
to balk or scruple (from)
noun
12. 
the act or an instance of straining
13. 
the damage resulting from excessive exertion
14. 
an intense physical or mental effort
15. music (often plural)
a theme, melody, or tune
16. 
a great demand on the emotions, resources, etc
17. 
a feeling of tension and tiredness resulting from overwork, worry, etc; stress
18. 
a particular style or recurring theme in speech or writing
19. physics
the change in dimension of a body under load expressed as the ratio of the total deflection or change in dimension to the original unloaded dimension. It may be a ratio of lengths, areas, or volumes
noun
1. 
the main body of descendants from one ancestor
2. 
a group of organisms within a species or variety, distinguished by one or more minor characteristics
3. 
a variety of bacterium or fungus, esp one used for a culture
4. 
a streak; trace
5. archaic
a kind, type, or sort

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Strain

see synonyms of strain
verb transitive
1. 
to draw or stretch tight
2. 
to exert, use, or tax to the utmost
to strain every nerve
3. 
to overtax; injure by overexertion; wrench
to strain a muscle
4. 
to injure or weaken by force, pressure, etc.
the wind strained the roof
5. 
to stretch or force beyond the normal, customary, or legitimate limits
to strain a rule to one's own advantage
6. 
to change the form or size of, by applying external force
7. 
a. 
to pass through a screen, sieve, filter, etc.; filter
b. 
to remove or free by filtration, etc.
8. 
to hug or embrace
: now only in strain to one's bosom (or heart, etc.)
9.  Obsolete
to force; constrain
verb intransitive
10. 
to make violent or continual efforts; strive hard
11. 
to be or become strained
12. 
to be subjected to great stress or pressure
13. 
to pull or push with force
14. 
to filter, ooze, or trickle
15. 
to hesitate or be unwilling; balk (at)
noun
16. 
a straining or being strained
17. 
great effort, exertion, or tension
18. 
an injury to a part of the body as a result of great effort or overexertion
muscle strain
19. 
a. 
change in form or size, or both, resulting from stress or force
b. 
stress or force
20. 
a great or excessive demand on one's emotions, resources, etc.
a strain on the imagination
noun
1.  Obsolete
a. 
a begetting
b. 
offspring
2. 
ancestry; lineage; descent
3. 
the descendants of a common ancestor; race; stock; line; breed; variety
4. 
an inherited or natural characteristic or tendency
5. 
a trace; streak
6. 
the manner, style, or tone of a speech, book, action, etc.
to write in an angry strain
7.  [often pl.]
a passage of music; tune; air
8. 
a passage of poetry, esp. of a lyric sort
9. 
a flight or outburst of eloquence, profanity, etc.
10.  Taxonomy and Genetics
a line of individuals of a certain species or race, differentiated from the main group by certain qualities, often, specif., superior qualities resulting from artificial breeding

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Strain

see synonyms of strain
v. strained, strain·ing, strains
v.tr.
1.
a. To pull, draw, or stretch tight: The heavy load strained the rope.
b. Physics To cause distortion of (a body's parts or shape) by applying an external force; deform.
2. To exert, use, or tax to the utmost: straining our ears to hear.
3. To injure or impair by overuse or overexertion; wrench: strain a muscle.
4. To damage or weaken by pressure or tension: winds that strained the mast.
5. To force beyond the proper or reasonable limit: an excuse that strains credulity.
6.
a. To pass (a liquid) through a filtering agent such as a strainer.
b. To draw off or remove by filtration: strained the pulp from the juice.
7. Archaic To embrace or clasp tightly; hug.
v.intr.
1.
a. To make strong or steady efforts; strive hard: straining to complete the coursework.
b. To contract or exert one's muscles to the utmost.
2. To pull or push forcibly or violently: The dog strained at its leash.
3. To be or become wrenched or twisted: the flagpole straining in the wind.
4. To be subjected to great stress: With such busy lives, the marriage can strain.
5. To pass through a filtering agent: The muddy water strains slowly.
n.
1.
a. The act of straining.
b. The state of being strained: the strain on the cable.
2.
a. Extreme or laborious effort, exertion, or work: moved the sofa with little strain.
b. A great or excessive demand or stress on one's body, mind, or resources: the strain of managing both a family and a career.
c. The state of being subjected to such demands or stresses: trying to work under great strain.
3. A wrench, twist, or other physical injury resulting from excessive tension, effort, or use.
4. Physics Any of several kinds of deformation of the dimensions of a body when subjected to stress, as axial strain or elastic strain.
5. An exceptional degree or pitch: a strain of zealous idealism.
n.
1. Biology
a. A group of bacteria or viruses that are genetically distinct from other groups of the same species.
b. A group of cultivated plants or domestic animals of the same species that have distinctive characteristics but are not considered a separate breed or variety.
2.
a. The collective descendants of a common ancestor; a race, stock, line, or breed.
b. Any of the various lines of ancestry united in an individual or a family; ancestry or lineage.
3. A kind or sort: imaginings of a morbid strain.
4.
a. An inborn or inherited tendency or character: a strain of eccentricity in the family.
b. An inherent quality; a streak: "his upper-caste father, placid, inactive, with a strain of asceticism" (V.S. Naipaul).
5. The tone, tenor, or substance of a verbal utterance or of a particular action or behavior: spoke in a passionate strain.
6. often strains Music A passage of expression; a tune or an air: melodic strains of the violin.
7.
a. A passage of poetic and especially lyrical expression.
b. An outburst or a flow of eloquent or impassioned language.

The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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