strain Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun (physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
  2. noun difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension
    stress.
    • 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. noun a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
    melodic phrase; air; melodic line; melody; line; tune.
    • she was humming an air from Beethoven
  4. noun (psychology) nervousness resulting from mental stress
    mental strain; nervous strain.
    • his responsibilities were a constant strain
    • the mental strain of staying alert hour after hour was too much for him
  5. noun a special variety of domesticated animals within a species
    breed; stock.
    • he experimented on a particular breed of white rats
    • he created a new strain of sheep
  6. noun (biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups
    var.; variant; form.
    • a new strain of microorganisms
  7. noun injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse); results in swelling and pain
  8. noun the general meaning or substance of an utterance
    tenor.
    • although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument
  9. noun an effortful attempt to attain a goal
    striving; pains; nisus.
  10. noun an intense or violent exertion
    straining.
  11. noun the act of singing
    song.
    • with a shout and a song they marched up to the gates
  12. verb to exert much effort or energy
    reach; strive.
    • straining our ears to hear
  13. verb test the limits of
    try; stress.
    • You are trying my patience!
  14. verb use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity
    extend.
    • He really extended himself when he climbed Kilimanjaro
    • Don't strain your mind too much
  15. verb separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements
    sift; sieve.
    • sift the flour
  16. verb cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
    tense up; tense.
    • he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up
  17. verb become stretched or tense or taut
    tense.
    • the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed
    • "the rope strained when the weight was attached
  18. verb remove by passing through a filter
    filter; filtrate; separate out; filter out.
    • filter out the impurities
  19. verb rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender
    puree.
    • puree the vegetables for the baby
  20. verb alter the shape of (something) by stress
    deform; distort.
    • His body was deformed by leprosy

WordNet

Strain noun
Etymology
See Strene.
Definitions
  1. Race; stock; generation; descent; family.
    He is of a noble strain. Shak.
    With animals and plants a cross between different varieties, or between individuals of the same variety but of another strain, gives vigor and fertility to the offspring. Darwin.
  2. Hereditary character, quality, or disposition.
    Intemperance and lust breed diseases, which, propogated, spoil the strain of nation. Tillotson.
  3. Rank; a sort. "The common strain." Dryden.
Strain transitive verb
Etymology
OF. estraindre, estreindre, F. étreindre, L. stringere to draw or bind tight; probably akin to Gr. a halter, that which is squeezwd out, a drop, or perhaps to E. strike. Cf. Strangle, Strike, Constrain, District, Strait, a. Stress, Strict, Stringent.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Strained ; present participle & verbal noun Straining
Definitions
  1. 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. "To strain his fetters with a stricter care." Dryden.
  2. (Mech.) To act upon, in any way, so as to cause change of form or volume, as forces on a beam to bend it.
  3. To exert to the utmost; to ply vigorously.
    He sweats, Strains his young nerves. Shak.
    They strain their warbling throats To welcome in the spring. Dryden.
  4. 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.
    There can be no other meaning in this expression, however some may pretend to strain it. Swift.
  5. To injure by drawing, stretching, or the exertion of force; as, the gale strained the timbers of the ship.
  6. 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.
    Prudes decayed about may track, Strain their necks with looking back. Swift.
  7. To squeeze; to press closely.
    Evander with a close embrace Strained his departing friend. Dryden.
  8. To make uneasy or unnatural; to produce with apparent effort; to force; to constrain.
    He talks and plays with Fatima, but his mirth Is forced and strained. Denham.
    The quality of mercy is not strained. Shak.
  9. To urge with importunity; to press; as, to strain a petition or invitation.
    Note, if your lady strain his entertainment. Shak.
  10. 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.
Strain intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To make violent efforts. "Straining with too weak a wing." Pope.
    To build his fortune I will strain a little. Shak.
  2. To percolate; to be filtered; as, water straining through a sandy soil.
Strain noun
Definitions
  1. The act of straining, or the state of being strained. Specifically: -- (a) 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.
    Whether any poet of our country since Shakespeare has exerted a greater variety of powers with less strain and less ostentation. Landor.
    Credit is gained by custom, and seldom recovers a strain. Sir W. Temple.
    (b) (Mech. Physics) A change of form or dimensions of a solid or liquid mass, produced by a stress. Rankine.
  2. (Mus.) 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.
    Their heavenly harps a lower strain began. Dryden.
  3. 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. "A strain of gallantry." Sir W. Scott.
    Such take too high a strain at first. Bacon.
    The genius and strain of the book of Proverbs. Tillotson.
    It [Pilgrim's Progress] seems a novelty, and yet contains Nothing but sound and honest gospel strains. Bunyan.
  4. Turn; tendency; inborn disposition. Cf. 1st Strain.
    Because heretics have a strain of madness, he applied her with some corporal chastisements. Hayward.

Webster 1913