Definition of Strain

Verb: strain  streyn

  1. To exert much effort or energy
    "straining our ears to hear";
    - strive, reach
     
  2. Test the limits of
    "You are straining my patience!";
    - try, stress
     
  3. Use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity
    "Don't strain your mind too much";
    - extend
     
  4. Separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements
    "strain the flour";
    - sift, sieve
     
  5. Cause to be tense and uneasy, nervous or anxious
    - tense, tense up
     
  6. Become stretched, tense or taut
    "the rope strained when the weight was attached";
    - tense
     
  7. Remove by passing through a filter
    "strain out the impurities";
    - filter, filtrate, separate out, filter out
     
  8. (cooking) rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender
    "strain the vegetables for the baby";
    - puree, purée
     
  9. Alter the shape of (something) by stress
    - deform, distort
Noun: strain  streyn
  1. (physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
     
  2. Difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension
    "she endured the stresses and strains of life";
    - stress
     
  3. A succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
    - tune, melody, air, melodic line, line, melodic phrase
     
  4. (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"; "his responsibilities were a constant nervous strain";
    - mental strain, nervous strain
     
  5. A special variety of domesticated animals within a species
    "he created a new strain of sheep";
    - breed, stock
     
  6. (biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups
    "a new strain of microorganisms";
    - form, variant, var.
     
  7. Injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse); results in swelling and pain
     
  8. The general meaning or substance of an utterance
    "although I disagreed with him I could follow the strain of his argument";
    - tenor
     
  9. An effortful attempt to attain a goal
    - striving, nisus, pains
     
  10. An intense or violent exertion
    - straining
     
  11. The act of singing
    "with a shout and a strain they marched up to the gates";
    - song

See also:
straightway
strained

Anagrams containing the word strain

sarnit nstrai instra ainstr rainst trains