Definitions for strain
streɪnstrain

Princeton's WordNet(4.33 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. strain(noun)

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

2. stress, strain(noun)

   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. tune, melody, air, strain, melodic line, line, melodic phrase(noun)

   a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence

   "she was humming an air from Beethoven"

4. strain, mental strain, nervous strain(noun)

   (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. breed, strain, stock(noun)

   a special variety of domesticated animals within a species

   "he experimented on a particular breed of white rats"; "he created a new strain of sheep"

6. form, variant, strain, var.(noun)

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

   "a new strain of microorganisms"

7. strain(noun)

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

8. tenor, strain(noun)

   the general meaning or substance of an utterance

   "although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument"

9. striving, nisus, pains, strain(noun)

   an effortful attempt to attain a goal

10. strain, straining(noun)

    an intense or violent exertion

11. song, strain(verb)

    the act of singing

    "with a shout and a song they marched up to the gates"

12. strive, reach, strain(verb)

    to exert much effort or energy

    "straining our ears to hear"

13. try, strain, stress(verb)

    test the limits of

    "You are trying my patience!"

14. strain, extend(verb)

    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. sift, sieve, strain(verb)

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

    "sift the flour"

16. tense, strain, tense up(verb)

    cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious

    "he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up"

17. strain, tense(verb)

    become stretched or tense or taut

    "the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed;" "the rope strained when the weight was attached"

18. filter, filtrate, strain, separate out, filter out(verb)

    remove by passing through a filter

    "filter out the impurities"

19. puree, strain(verb)

    rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender

    "puree the vegetables for the baby"

20. deform, distort, strain(verb)

    alter the shape of (something) by stress

    "His body was deformed by leprosy"

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Strain(noun)

   race; stock; generation; descent; family

2. Strain(noun)

   hereditary character, quality, or disposition

3. Strain(noun)

   rank; a sort

4. Strain(adj)

   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

5. Strain(adj)

   to act upon, in any way, so as to cause change of form or volume, as forces on a beam to bend it

6. Strain(adj)

   to exert to the utmost; to ply vigorously

7. Strain(adj)

   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 accused person

8. Strain(adj)

   to injure by drawing, stretching, or the exertion of force; as, the gale strained the timbers of the ship

9. Strain(adj)

   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. Strain(adj)

    to squeeze; to press closely

11. Strain(adj)

    to make uneasy or unnatural; to produce with apparent effort; to force; to constrain

12. Strain(adj)

    to urge with importunity; to press; as, to strain a petition or invitation

13. Strain(adj)

    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 strain milk through cloth

14. Strain(verb)

    to make violent efforts

15. Strain(verb)

    to percolate; to be filtered; as, water straining through a sandy soil

16. Strain(noun)

    the act of straining, or the state of being strained

17. Strain(noun)

    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. Strain(noun)

    a change of form or dimensions of a solid or liquid mass, produced by a stress

19. Strain(noun)

    a portion of music divided off by a double bar; a complete musical period or sentence; a movement, or any rounded subdivision of a movement

20. Strain(noun)

    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

21. Strain(noun)

    turn; tendency; inborn disposition. Cf. 1st Strain

Origin: [See Strene.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Strain

   strān, v.t. to stretch tight: to draw with force: to exert to the utmost: to injure by overtasking: to make tight: to constrain, make uneasy or unnatural: to press to one's self, to embrace: to pass through a filter.—v.i. to make violent efforts: to filter.—n. the act of straining: a violent effort: an injury inflicted by straining, esp. a wrenching of the muscles: a note, sound, or song, stretch of imagination, &c.: any change of form or bulk of a portion of matter either solid or fluid, the system of forces which sustains the strain being called the stress: mood, disposition.—ns. Strain′er, one who, or that which, strains: an instrument for filtration: a sieve, colander, &c.; Strain′ing, a piece of leather for stretching as a base for the seat of a saddle.—Strain a point, to make a special effort: to exceed one's duty; Strain at, in Matt. xxiii. 24, a misprint for Strain out. [O. Fr. straindre—L. stringĕre, to stretch tight. Cf. String and Strong.]

2. Strain

   strān, n. race, stock, generation: descent: natural tendency, any admixture or element in one's character.—n. Strain′ing-beam, a tie-beam uniting the tops of the queen-posts. [M. E. streen—A.S. gestréon, gain; confused in M. E. with the related M. E. strend—A.S. strynd, lineage.]

The Standard Electrical Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Strain

   The condition of a body when subjected to a stress. Various consequences may ensue from strain in the way of disturbance of electric and other qualities of the body strained.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. strain

   To use a colander for a specific purpose.

   Our father used the colander to strain the potatoes and vegetables while preparing dinner.

   Submitted by MC Harmonious on December 4, 2016

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. strain

   Song lyrics by strain -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by strain on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'strain' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4159

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'strain' in Nouns Frequency: #1423

3. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'strain' in Verbs Frequency: #943

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of strain in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of strain in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of strain in a Sentence

1. Cicero:

   Strain every nerve to gain your point.

2. Julia Louise Woodruff:

   Out of the strain of the Doing, Into the peace of the Done.

3. George Eliot:

   Different taste in jokes is a great strain on the affections.

4. Lanhee Chen:

   It’s hard to see a consistent strain of conservative economic thought.

5. Michael Osterholm:

   The strain isn’t in the damn vaccine, and it’s giving cross protection.

Images & Illustrations of strain

Popularity rank by frequency of use