Word.ws English Dictionary

string

UK/stɹɪŋ/

string noun: a long, thin and flexible structure made from threads twisted together.

string: a long, thin and flexible structure made from threads twisted together
Image: nando.quitana, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

string (countable and uncountable, plural strings)

  1. A long, thin and flexible structure made from threads twisted together.
    • She bought cotton thread to use to make string.
    • I need three strings to complete the project.
    Synonyms:
    cord, rope, line, thread, twine
    1. (figuratively, plural, sometimes) Control; influence.
      • I always know what position he'll take because the Chairwoman of the Board has her string on him.
      • You have to keep the piece with your mother-in-law, because mothers always have strings in their child.
    2. (figuratively, in plural) The conditions and limitations in a contract collectively.
      • The deal sounds good, but what are the strings?
      • no strings attached
    3. (figuratively) A controlling inner sense, emotion, memory, etc.
      • tug on the heart strings
      • The experience struck a string in him that turned into a lifetime hobby.
    4. (figuratively) Control over the basketball in a game; the state of being in sync as a team, as if connected by a string.
      • You have to get the ball on an absolute string.
      • The team needs to be on a string.
  2. (countable) Any similar long, thin and flexible material.
    • The headdress's frame is made with strings of gold.
    1. A length of nylon or other material comprising the webbing on the head of a racquet or the mesh pocket of a lacrosse stick.
    2. The tough fibrous substance that unites the valves of the pericarp of leguminous plants.
      • the strings of beans; a string bean
    3. A bowstring.
      • You have to be strong to pull on the string.
    4. (usually) The sound of a bowstring releasing, which often causes a target animal to jump.
      • The deer jumped the string.
    5. A segment of wire, made of plastic, metal or other material, used as the sound-producing vibrating element on a chordophone.
      • a violin string
    6. (in plural, metonymically, sometimes) A stringed instrument.
      • He lacked Ginny's skill on the strings, but made up for it in enthusiasm.2006, Lou Grantt, At the Lake, page 93
    7. (metonymically, plural-normally) The stringed instruments as a section of an orchestra, especially those played by a bow, or the persons playing those instruments.
      • The strings were wonderful in last night's performance.
    8. A player's handicap in string game golf, providing an advantage in the form of the string, twine, rope, etc., used to measure that handicap.
      • If a player uses, say, 10 inches of string to move from rough to fairway, those 10 inches are then cut from her allotment and disposed of. Players must maximize their string by using it judiciously.1997, National Golf Foundation, Tournaments and Events: Organization and Management, page 67
    9. (archaic) A fibre, as of a plant; a little fibrous root.
      • Duckweed putteth forth a little string into the water, from the bottom.1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted...
    10. (archaic) A nerve or tendon of an animal body.
      • The string of his tongue was loosed.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Mark 7:35
  3. (countable) A thread or cord on which a number of objects are strung or arranged in close and orderly succession; a line of things similarly strung together.
    • a string of pearls, shells or beads
    • a string of sausages
    Synonyms:
    chain
    1. (historical) The buttons strung on a wire by which the score is kept in a game of billiards.
    2. (broadly, historical) The points made in a game of billiards.
    3. (broadly) A series of items or events; items arranged in a line; a trend; a sequence of words, letters, sounds, etc.
      • The string of houses at the end of Motter Avenue are having a block party.
      • The war was ended by a catastrophic string of battles on the northern front.
    4. (broadly, shooting) A series of gunshots comprising a sequence in a practical shooting event.
      • This is a category where I have seen some different variations. Down in Florida, they shoot this category using four pistols and a shotgun. They will replace the rifle string with another pistol string. This makes that string much more challenging because of the farther rifle targets being engaged...2023 January 19, The Outlaw Travis James, “Cowboy Action Shooting Categories”, in Action Shooting Network
    5. (broadly) An ordered sequence of text characters stored consecutively in memory and capable of being processed as a single entity.
    6. (broadly) A string citation.
      • If none of the cases in a string is controlling, cite the first case and the most recent one, or the first case and the case in the string that is most like the one you are trying.2003, John Phelps Warnock, Harold C. Warnock, Effective Writing: A Handbook with Stories for Lawyers, Parlor Press LLC, page 92
  4. (countable) A cohesive substance taking the form of a string.
    • The dish was garnished with zucchini strings.
    • The string of spittle dangling from his chin was most unattractive
  5. A stretchy or gooey length of melted cheese; the stringiness quality of producing such strings of cheese.
    • The curds milled at pH 5.40 had a tough, firm texture with nice strings and squeaky chew as compared with curds milled at pH 5.10 that were much softer, flowed easily out of the cooker-stretcher, melted completely, and had a tear with no strings. The curds in the cheese made from milk with 5.5% CN...2025 May 12, A.V. Swaminathan, S.K. Lillevang, S. Govindasamy-Lucey, J.J. Jaeggi, M.E. Johnson, J.A. Lucey, “Low-moisture part-skim mozzarella made from milk with varying casein contents”, in Journal...
  6. (countable) A slightly elevated (long, thin) peat ridge in a bog.
    • Strings and Flarks[:] The two most conspicuous land form patterns in water tracks are fields of tree islands and networks of strings and flarks. The origin of strings and flarks is a controversial subject that has been treated extensively[…]1987, Paul H. Glaser, The Ecology of Patterned Boreal Peatlands of Northern Minnesota: A Community Profile, page 51
    • […] strings and flarks are again aligned along the contours, but the flarks are much wider and are often drier. Where the flarks are flooded they are curiously reminiscent of a system of terraced paddy fields […]1993, Shatrughna Prasad Sinha, Instant encyclopaedia of geography, Mittal Publications, →ISBN, page 335
    Synonyms:
    kermi
  7. (countable) The line from behind and over which the cue ball must be played after being out of play, as by being pocketed or knocked off the table.
    Synonyms:
    baulk line, string line
  8. (countable) A part of the game of billiards, in which the order of play is determined by testing who can get a ball closest to the bottom rail by shooting it onto the end rail.
    Synonyms:
    baulk line, string line, lagging
  9. (countable) A small, filamentous ramification of a metallic vein.
    • a single miner is often found pursuing his solitary labours at a string or thin vein of ore1833, Thomas Sopwith, An Account of the Mining Districts of Alston Moor, Weardale […]
  10. (countable) A tiny one-dimensional string-like entity, the main object of study in string theory, a branch of theoretical physics.
  11. (broadly) Any grouping of companies, institutions, etc.
    • He owned a string of pizza restaurants throughout the region.
    • He handles a string of professional boxers.
  12. A complete game of ten frames.
    Synonyms:
    line
Show 12 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. The series of three balls and two strikes which comprise an almost full opportunity for a batter, meaning that the next pitch will be decisive.
    • The batter should play out the string. The pitcher should run out the string.
    • This pitch will be key, because the string is out.
  2. (collective) The members of a sports team or squad in terms of whether they are likely to play first or as backups, etc.
    • first string; second string; third string
  3. (collective) A group of horses kept for working purposes by one owner; a group of racehorses kept by one owner or at one stable.
    • My string usually consisted of six to eight head and occasionally more, mostly young horses, with one or two good broke six or seven year olds.2011, Buck Horn, A Big String - Stories about Horses, Round-Ups and Characters I Have Known
    • The Ball Brothers' string of horses came in early from Plattsburg, where they were exhibited last week. This noted string of show horses from the Ball stables at Versailles, Ky., is one of the big features of the horse show.1911 October 17, The Shadow and Show Horse Chronicle, volume 1, Lexington, Kentucky: The Chronicle Publishing Group
  4. (collective, slang) Synonym of stable (“group of prostitutes managed by one pimp”).
    • They were turning tricks, doing drugs, and generally little better off than they had been before, except that they were keeping more of their money. But they seemed lonely, too, without the company of their pimp and the rest of his string.2006, Steve Niles, Jeff Mariotte, 30 Days of Night: Rumors of the Undead, page 307
    Synonyms:
    stable
  5. (collective) A group of animals of any kind, generally moving in a line (as in camels), spread out laterally or a sequential series (as in ducks or geese taking flight).
    • A string of goats dotted the path up the mountainside.
    • The string of bison strolled along the river.
  6. A strip, as of leather, by which the covers of a book are held together.
    • Many of those that pretend to be great Rabbies in these studies have scarce saluted them from the strings, and the titlepage.1641 May, John Milton, Of Reformation Touching Church-Discipline in England: And the Causes that hitherto have Hindred it. […], [London]: […] Thomas Vnderhill, →OCLC
  7. A board supporting steps.
  8. An inside range of ceiling planks, corresponding to the sheer strake on the outside and bolted to it.
  9. A stringcourse.
  10. (slang) Cannabis or marijuana.
  11. (dated, figuratively, slang) A hoax; a fake story.
  12. (oil industry) A column of drill pipe that transmits drilling fluid (using the mud pumps) and torque (using the kelly drive or top drive) to the drill bit.

Verb

string (third-person singular simple present strings, present participle stringing, simple past strung or (colloquial) stringed or strang, past participle strung or (colloquial) stringed)

  1. (transitive) To put (items) on a string.
    • You can string these beads on to this cord to make a colorful necklace.
    Synonyms:
    thread
  2. (transitive) To put strings on (something).
    • It is difficult to string a tennis racket properly.
    Synonyms:
    lace
  3. (intransitive) To form into a string or strings, as a substance which is stretched, or people who are moving along, etc.
  4. (intransitive) To drive the ball against the end of the table and back, in order to determine which player is to open the game.
  5. To deliberately state that a certain bird is present when it is not; to knowingly mislead other birders about the occurrence of a bird, especially a rarity; to misidentify a common bird as a rare species.
    • To be honest, you'd be better off trying to string a Skylark as a Richard's Pipit rather than as a Pectoral Sandpiper.1980, Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book, page 81
    • For instance he might see a White-eared Honeyeater, a not uncommon bird in the heathy areas at Bunyip, but in his excitement to call it, something in his brain scrambled and came out as: `White-cheeked Honeyeater!' White-cheeked Honeyeater is an absolute stonking crippler in Victoria, but Stu was...2005, Sean Dooley, The Big Twitch, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 67

string meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

string in Hindi

long, thin structure made from twisted threads
तार tār, रस्सी rassī, रस्सा rassā
any similar long, thin and flexible object
डोर ḍor, डोरी ḍorī, धागा dhāgā
programming: sequence of characters
स्ट्रिंग sṭriṅg
string of a musical instrument
तंतु tantu, ताँत tā̃t, तंत tant

string in Tamil

நூல், வடம், கயிறு, சர‌ம், கம்பி, இழை

string in Marathi

to string, plait
गुंफणे gumphṇe
the string or tie
कसा kasā
string
तार tār

string in Urdu

string; thread
رسن rasan
string or thread
پسلی paslī
string, thread
تار tār
More languagesFewer languages
string in Bengali
দড়ি doṛi, তার tar
string in Telugu
తంతి tanti, చేరు cēru, నూలు nūlu
string in Malayalam
ചരട് caraṭŭ, ഞാൺ ñāṇ
string in Kannada
ಹುರಿ, ನಾರು, ನೂಲು, ದಾರ
string in Punjabi
ਧਾਗਾ dhāgā, ڈورا ḍorā, ਤੰਦ tand, ਤਰਬ tarab
string in Gujarati
શબ્દમાળા śabdamāḷā
string in Odia
ଷ୍ଟ୍ରିଙ୍ଗ, ଷ୍ଟ୍ରିଂ, ଷ୍ଟ୍ରିଙ୍ଗ୍
string in Sanskrit
गुण guṇá, दामन् dā́man, दृभ् dṛbh, कटक kaṭaka
string in Sinhala
ලනව lanawa
string in Assamese
সূত xut, তাৰ tar, ডোল dül
string in Nepali
गाँथ्नु gā̃thnu, सुत्लि sutli
string in Tagalog
bagting
string in Arabic
وَتَر watar, سِلْسِلَة silsila
string in Malay
tali
string in Persian
رشته rešte, زه zeh, تار târ, سیم sim
string in Thai
ด้าย dâai, เชือก chʉ̂ʉak, สตริง sàtring, สายอักขระ
string in Vietnamese
chuỗi, xâu, đàn, dây
string in Myanmar
ကြိုး krui:

Examples of string in a sentence

  • The sight triggered a string of revulsion in her.
  • The smell pulled a string that reawakened his memory of his grandmother's cooking.
  • Tell Johnson he needs to be on a string with the ball.
  • The string of cars stretched as far as I could see.
  • Her string of bad luck seemed likely to continue.
  • He let out a string of profanities. That acronym is a string of letters. She heard a string of applause from the audience, amid a few strings of laughter.

All 40 example sentences with string

Synonyms of string

15 more synonymsFewer synonyms

All synonyms of string

Forms of string

Noun
pluralstrings
Verb
third-person singular presentstrings
present participlestringing
paststrung
paststrang
past participlestrung
past (colloquial)stringed
past participle (colloquial)stringed

Past tense of string: strung

Plural of string: strings

Origin of string

From Middle English string, streng, strynge, from Old English strenġ, from Proto-West Germanic *strangi, from Proto-Germanic *strangiz (“string”), from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- (“rope, cord, strand; to tighten”). Cognate with Scots string (“string”), Dutch streng (“cord, strand”), Low German strenge (“strand, cord, rope”), German Strang (“strand, cord, rope”), Danish streng (“string”), Swedish sträng (“string, cord, wire”), Icelandic strengur (“string”), Latvian stringt (“to be tight, wither”), Latin stringō (“to tighten”), Ancient Greek στραγγαλόομαι (strangalóomai, “to strangle”), from στραγγάλη (strangálē, “halter”), Ancient Greek στραγγός (strangós, “tied together, entangled, twisted”).

From Middle English stryngen, strengen, from the noun (see above).

Words formed from string

Phrases with string

103 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with string

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about string

What does string mean?
String means a long, thin and flexible structure made from threads twisted together.
What is string in Hindi?
String in Hindi is तार (tār), रस्सी (rassī), रस्सा (rassā). See String meaning in Hindi.
How do you use string in a sentence?
The sight triggered a string of revulsion in her.
What part of speech is string?
String can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce string?
String is pronounced /stɹɪŋ/ (UK).
What is the plural of string?
The plural of string is strings.

Words near string in the dictionary

  1. Strindbergian
  2. strinding
  3. strinds
  4. Strine
  5. Strines
  6. string
  7. string along
  8. string attached
  9. string band
  10. string bands
  11. string bass

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: string (page history and authors); string (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); कसा (Marathi) (page history and authors); تار (Urdu) (page history and authors); చేరు (Telugu) (page history and authors); string (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); تند (Punjabi) (page history and authors); string (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); कटक (Sanskrit) (page history and authors); ලනව (Sinhala) (page history and authors); ডোল (Assamese) (page history and authors); गाँथ्नु (Nepali) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-string.ogg.

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