strain

/stɹeɪn/

strain noun: race; lineage, pedigree.

Image: Fraunhofer IFAM, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun (1)

strain (plural strains)

(archaic) Race; lineage, pedigree.
- He is of a noble strain.1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- […] with animals and plants a cross between different varieties, or between individuals of the same variety but of another strain, gives vigour and fertility to the offspring; […]1859 November 24, Charles Darwin, “Natural Selection”, in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, […], London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 96
A particular variety of a microbe, virus, or other organism, usually a taxonomically infraspecific one.
- They say this year's flu virus is a particularly virulent strain.
- European scientists have discovered a new strain of the virus that causes AIDS and linked it to gorillas, creating a mystery about when and how the first patient found to have the strain became infected.2009 August 4, Lawrence K. Altman, “New Strain of H.I.V. Is Discovered”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
(figuratively) Hereditary character, quality, tendency, or disposition.
- There is a strain of madness in her family.
- Intemperance and Luſt breed infirmities and diſeaſes, which, being propagated, ſpoil the Strain of a Nation.1671, John Tillotson, “Prov[erbs] xiv. 34.”, in Sermons Preach’d upon Several Occasions, London: […] A[nne] M[axwell] for Sa[muel] Gellibrand, […], →OCLC, page 135
Synonyms:

propensity, proneness
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, etc.
- Yet Keats, though for so many years he has given nothing to the world, is understood to have devoted himself to the composition of an epic poem. Some passages of it have been communicated to the inner circle of his admirers, and impressed them as the loftiest strains that have been audible on earth...1846, Nathaniel Hawthorne, “P.'s Correspondence”, in Mosses from an Old Manse
- A baby gurgled, a photographer dropped her lens cap, and the strains of the U.S. Army Brass Quintet echoed off the murals depicting seminal moments in American history.2024, Christa Case Bryant, As US marks 9/11, a divided Congress unites to honor 13 fallen in Afghanistan, in: The Christian Science Monitor, September 11, 2024
Synonyms:

theme, motive, manner, style
Language that is eloquent, poetic, or otherwise heightened.
(rare) A kind or sort (of person etc.).
- the common strain1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Fifth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […]...
(obsolete) Treasure.
(obsolete) The blood-vessel in the yolk of an egg.

Verb (1)

strain (third-person singular simple present strains, present participle straining, simple past and past participle strained)

(obsolete, transitive) To hold tightly, to clasp.
- So hauing said, her twixt her armes twaine / She straightly straynd, and colled tenderly […]1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC
- Evander with a close embrace / Strained his departing friend.1697, Virgil, “The Eighth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC
(transitive) To apply a force or forces to by stretching out.
- to strain a rope; to strain the shrouds of a ship
- Relations between the United States and Guatemala traditionally have been close, although at times strained by human rights and civil/military issues.
(transitive) To damage by drawing, stretching, or the exertion of force.
- The gale strained the timbers of the ship.
(transitive) To act upon, in any way, so as to cause change of form or volume, as when bending a beam.
(ambitransitive) To exert or struggle (to do something), especially to stretch (one's senses, faculties etc.) beyond what is normal or comfortable.
- Sitting in back, I strained to hear the speaker.
- To build his fortune I will strain a little.c. 1605–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
(transitive) To stretch beyond its proper limit; to do violence to, in terms of intent or meaning.
- to strain the law in order to convict an accused person
- There can be no other meaning in this expression, however some may pretend to strain it.1724, “Drapier's Letters”, in 4, Jonathan Swift
(transitive) To separate solid from liquid by passing through a strainer or colander.
- Strain the noodles and rinse with fresh water until it runs clear. The noodles should be soft, but not mushy.2017 November 14, Matthew Kenney, PLANTLAB, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN
- Except for the indigo, the dyebaths are steeped over heat to release their pigment and then strained to remove the dyestuff.2026, Elise Young, “Yagaa: Reviving Sericulture in Southern Mexico”, in Spin Off, volume L, number 1, page 17
(intransitive) To percolate; to be filtered.
- water straining through a sandy soil
(transitive) To make uneasy or unnatural; to produce with apparent effort; to force; to constrain.
- Prince. How does my Father? / Princeſs. Still talks and plays with Fatyma, but his mirth / Is forc'd and ſtrain'd: In his look appears / A wild diſtracted fierceneſs; […]1641 (first performance), [John Denham], The Sophy. […], 2nd edition, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman, […], published 1667, →OCLC, Act III, page 42
- The quality of mercy is not strained.c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
(transitive) To urge with importunity; to press.
- to strain a petition or invitation
To make great demands on something.
- a story that strains credulity
- Taking on more debt would strain our resources to the limit.
Synonyms:

tax
(literary, transitive) To hug somebody; to hold somebody tightly.

Noun (2)

strain (countable and uncountable, plural strains)

The act of straining, or the state of being strained.
- Nevertheless, it is clear that the global energy demand for air-conditioning will grow substantially as nations become more affluent,[…]. This trend will put additional strain not only on global energy resources but also on the environmental prospects of a warming planet.2013 September-October, Michael Sivak, “Will AC Put a Chill on the Global Energy Supply?”, in American Scientist
- If the Menai Bridge, for instance, were loaded at that rate, the entire strain on the main chains would be about 2000 tons ; while the chains containing 260 square inches of iron would bear, at 9 tons per square inch, 2340 tons, without stretching ...1832, Charles Stewart Drewry (A.M.I.C.E.), A memoir on suspension bridges, page 183
A violent effort; an excessive and hurtful exertion or tension, as of the muscles.
- he jumped up with a strain
- the strain upon the sailboat's rigging
An injury resulting from violent effort; a sprain.
- They used steroids to build strength but, more importantly, to recover from strains, pulls, dislocations.2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 162
- Dirk Kuyt sandwiched a goal in between Carroll's double as City endured a night of total misery, with captain Carlos Tevez limping off early on with a hamstring strain that puts a serious question mark over his participation in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United at Wembley.2011 April 11, Phil McNulty, “Liverpool 3-0 Man City”, in BBC Sport
(uncountable) A dimensionless measure of object deformation either referring to engineering strain or true strain.
- Detailed records are kept of the strains imposed on the bridge by the violent gales that frequently sweep the firth, and a self-recording wind gauge is fixed on the top of the tower.1950 March, H. A. Vallance, “On Foot Across the Forth Bridge”, in Railway Magazine, page 149
(obsolete) The track of a deer.
- When they have shot a Deere by land, they follow him like bloud-hounds by the bloud, and straine, and oftentimes so take them.1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, Kupperman, published 1988, page 145

Verb (2)

strain (third-person singular simple present strains, present participle straining, simple past and past participle strained)

(obsolete) To beget, generate (of light), engender, copulate (both of animals and humans), lie with, be born, come into the world.
- A man straineth, liveth, then dieth.
- Man, look at that cat straining that kitty.

Proper noun capitalized: Strain

Strain (plural Strains)

A surname.

strain meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

strain in Hindi

to strain: काँखना kā̃khnā
to strain, filter: छानना chānnā

strain in Tamil

கடு முயற்சி செய், கடுமுயற்சி செய், நலி சோர்வு, நலிசோர்வு, மிகு முயற்சி, மெனக்கெடல்

strain in Marathi

to strain or filter a substance: गाळणे gāḷṇe

strain in Urdu

strain: لچک lacak

More languagesFewer languages

strain in Bengali: গালা gala
strain in Telugu: వడబోయు vaḍabōyu, వంగడము vaṅgaḍamu
strain in Malayalam: ആയാസം āyāsaṁ
strain in Kannada: ಒತ್ತಡ, ಬಿಗಿತ, ಹೊರೆ, ಶ್ರಮ
strain in Punjabi: ਪੁਣਨਾ puṇnā, ਕੱਸਣਾ kassaṇā
strain in Gujarati: સ્ટ્રેન
strain in Odia: ଷ୍ଟ୍ରେନ୍, ଷ୍ଟ୍ରେନ୍ |
strain in Assamese: ছেকা seka
strain in Nepali: छान्नु chānnu
strain in Tagalog: salain
strain in Arabic: سُلَالَة sulāla
strain in Malay: tapis, saring
strain in Indonesian: galur
strain in Persian: سویه, تنجیدن tanjidan, صاف کردن sâf kardan, ماشیوه کردن mâšive kardan

Examples of strain in a sentence

Some passages of it have been communicated to the inner circle of his admirers, and impressed them as the loftiest strains that have been audible on earth since Milton’s days.1846, Nathaniel Hawthorne, “P.'s Correspondence”, in Mosses from an Old Manse:
"Farewell!"—the mother strained her child to her heart again, and again put her from her, to embrace her more closely.1859, Ferna Vale, Natalie; or, A Gem Among the Sea-Weeds:
They strain their warbling throats / To welcome in the spring.1700, [John] Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight’s Tale. In Three Books.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob...
Note, if your lady strain his entertainment.c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies...

All 40 example sentences with strain

Synonyms of strain

All synonyms of strain

Forms of strain

Noun
plural	strains
Verb
third-person singular present	strains
present participle	straining
past participle	strained
past	strained
Proper noun
plural	Strains

Past tense of strain: strained

Plural of strain: strains

Origin of strain

From Middle English streen, strene, streon, istreon (“race, stock, generation”), from Old English strēon, ġestrēon (“gain, wealth”), from Proto-West Germanic *streun, from Proto-Germanic *streuną (“heap, treasure, profit, gain”), from Proto-Indo-European *strew- (“to spread, strew”) (cognate with Old Saxon gistriuni, Old High German gistriuni (“gain, property, wealth, business”), Latin strues (“heap”)). Confused in Middle English with the related noun strend, strynd, strund, from Old English strȳnd (“race; stock”), from strēonan, strȳnan (“to beget; acquire”). Related also to Dutch struinen (“to prowl, root about, rout”).

From Middle English straynen, streinen, streynen, from Old French estreindre (whence French étreindre (“to grip”)), from Latin stringō (“to draw tight together, to tie”).

From Middle English strenen (“to beget, father, procreate”), from Old English strēonan, strīenan, strȳnan (“to beget, generate, gain, acquire”), from Proto-West Germanic *striunijan, from Proto-Germanic *striunijaną (“to furnish, decorate, acquire”).

Phrases with strain

Words that rhyme with strain

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about strain

What does strain mean?: Strain means race; lineage, pedigree.
What is strain in Hindi?: Strain in Hindi is काँखना (kā̃khnā), छानना (chānnā). See Strain meaning in Hindi.
How do you use strain in a sentence?: Some passages of it have been communicated to the inner circle of his admirers, and impressed them as the loftiest strains that have been audible on earth since Milton’s days.
What part of speech is strain?: Strain can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce strain?: Strain is pronounced /stɹeɪn/.
What is the plural of strain?: The plural of strain is strains.

Words near strain in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

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Cite this entry: “strain.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/strain. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.