strain

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA ^(key): /streɪn/, SAMPA: /streIn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

Singular strain

Plural strains

1. A tune, melody or song.
   • Synonym: melody

   Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
   And sings a melancholy strain. – William Wordsworth

2. In biology, a particular species or type of animal or microbe.
   • Synonym: organism
3. Extreme effort to do some work.
   • Synonym: exertion
   • Antonyms: lazing and idling
4. (biology) Family or lineage.
   • Synonyms: ancestry and descent

Verb

Plain form strain

Third-person singular strains

Past tense strained

Past participle strained

Present participle straining

1. You strain when it is difficult to do something and you must work hard to do it.
   • Synonyms: exert and grind
   • Antonyms: idle and laze

   He strained to see his friend from so far away.

2. To force something or apply a force.
3. To remove one part of a mixture from another by filtering it.