32. strain a pervading style; spirit: a humorous strain.
Etymology: (1555–65; cf. obs.
Definition of 'Strain'
Princeton's WordNet
1. (noun)strain (physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
2. (noun)stress, strain difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension "she endured the stresses and strains of life"; "he presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger"- R.J.Samuelson
3. (noun)tune, melody, air, strain, melodic line, line, melodic phrase a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence "she was humming an air from Beethoven"
4. (noun)strain, mental strain, nervous strain (psychology) nervousness resulting from mental stress "his responsibilities were a constant strain"; "the mental strain of staying alert hour after hour was too much for him"
5. (noun)breed, strain, stock a specialvariety of domesticated animals within a species "he experimented on a particular breed of white rats"; "he created a new strain of sheep"
6. (noun)form, variant, strain, var. (biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups "a new strain of microorganisms"
8. (noun)tenor, strain the generalmeaning or substance of an utterance "although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument"
9. (noun)striving, nisus, pains, strain an effortful attempt to attain a goal
10. (noun)strain, straining an intense or violent exertion
11. (verb)song, strain the act of singing "with a shout and a song they marched up to the gates"
12. (verb)strive, reach, strain to exert much effort or energy "straining our ears to hear"
13. (verb)try, strain, stress test the limits of "You are trying my patience!"
14. (verb)strain, extend use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity "He really extended himself when he climbed Kilimanjaro"; "Don't strain your mind too much"
15. (verb)sift, sieve, strain separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements "sift the flour"
16. (verb)tense, strain, tense up cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious "he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up"
17. (verb)strain, tense become stretched or tense or taut "the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed;" "the rope strained when the weight was attached"
18. (verb)filter, filtrate, strain, separate out, filter out remove by passing through a filter "filter out the impurities"
19. (verb)puree, strain rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender "puree the vegetables for the baby"
20. (verb)deform, distort, strain alter the shape of (something) by stress "His body was deformed by leprosy"
1. (noun)strain stress or problems caused by too much work or worry the strain of working two jobs to feed her family; soldiers under strain; High demand puts a strain on the electricity supply.
2. strain a painful muscle that has been pulled or twisted a shoulder strain
3. strain physical stress or injury the strain on your eyes from staring at a computer
4. strain in science, a type of sth A new strain of the fungus is affecting crops.
5. (verb)strain to twist or pull a muscle I strained my wrist.
6. strain to make sb or sth have stress or problems My father's illness strained relationships within the family.; expensive medical bills that strain the finances
7. strain to use a lot of physical effort to do sth He strained to reach the rope as it slid away.
8. strain to separate the solid pieces from a liquid Strain the lumps from the sauce.
Definition of 'Strain'
Webster Dictionary
1. (adj)Strain to draw with force; to extend with great effort; to stretch; as, to strain a rope; to strain the shrouds of a ship; to strain the cords of a musical instrument
2. (adj)Strain to act upon, in any way, so as to cause change of form or volume, as forces on a beam to bend it
3. (adj)Strain to exert to the utmost; to ply vigorously
4. (adj)Strain to stretch beyond its proper limit; to do violence to, in the matter of intent or meaning; as, to strain the law in order to convict an accusedperson
5. (adj)Strain to injure by drawing, stretching, or the exertion of force; as, the gale strained the timbers of the ship
6. (adj)Strain to injure in the muscles or joints by causing to make too strong an effort; to harm by overexertion; to sprain; as, to strain a horse by overloading; to strain the wrist; to strain a muscle
10. (adj)Strain to press, or cause to pass, through a strainer, as through a screen, a cloth, or some porous substance; to purify, or separate from extraneous or solid matter, by filtration; to filter; as, to strainmilk through cloth
11. (noun)Strain race; stock; generation; descent; family
12. (noun)Strain hereditary character, quality, or disposition
14. (noun)Strain the act of straining, or the state of being strained
15. (noun)Strain a violent effort; an excessive and hurtful exertion or tension, as of the muscles; as, he lifted the weight with a strain; the strain upon a ship's rigging in a gale; also, the hurt or injury resulting; a sprain
18. (noun)Strain any sustained note or movement; a song; a distinct portion of an ode or other poem; also, the pervading note, or burden, of a song, poem, oration, book, etc.; theme; motive; manner; style; also, a course of action or conduct; as, he spoke in a noble strain; there was a strain of woe in his story; a strain of trickery appears in his career
Sense: to exert oneself or a part of the body to the greatest possible extent They strained at the door, trying to pull it open; He strained to reach the rope.