English noun: strain | |||
1. | strain (phenomenon) (physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces | ||
Broader (hypernym) | deformation | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | overstrain | ||
Domain category | natural philosophy, physics | ||
2. | strain (state) difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension | ||
Samples | She endured the stresses and strains of life. He presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger. | ||
Synonyms | stress | ||
Broader (hypernym) | difficulty | ||
3. | strain (communication) a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence | ||
Samples | She was humming an air from Beethoven. | ||
Synonyms | air, line, melodic line, melodic phrase, melody, tune | ||
Broader (hypernym) | music | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | fanfare, flourish, glissando, idea, leitmotif, leitmotiv, melodic theme, musical theme, part, roulade, signature, signature tune, theme, theme song, theme song, tucket, voice | ||
Part holonym | musical phrase, phrase | ||
4. | strain (state) (psychology) nervousness resulting from mental stress | ||
Samples | His responsibilities were a constant strain. The mental strain of staying alert hour after hour was too much for him. | ||
Synonyms | mental strain, nervous strain | ||
Broader (hypernym) | nerves, nervousness | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | stress, tenseness, tension | ||
Domain category | psychological science, psychology | ||
5. | strain (group) a special variety of domesticated animals within a species | ||
Samples | He experimented on a particular breed of white rats. He created a new strain of sheep. | ||
Synonyms | breed, stock | ||
Broader (hypernym) | animal group, variety | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | bloodstock, pedigree | ||
Member meronym | species | ||
6. | strain (group) (biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups | ||
Samples | A new strain of microorganisms. | ||
Synonyms | form, var., variant | ||
Broader (hypernym) | taxon, taxonomic category, taxonomic group | ||
Member meronym | species | ||
Domain category | biological science, biology | ||
7. | strain (state) injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse); results in swelling and pain | ||
Broader (hypernym) | harm, hurt, injury, trauma | ||
8. | strain (cognition) the general meaning or substance of an utterance | ||
Samples | Although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument. | ||
Synonyms | tenor | ||
Broader (hypernym) | meaning, substance | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | drift, purport | ||
9. | strain (act) an effortful attempt to attain a goal | ||
Synonyms | nisus, pains, striving | ||
Broader (hypernym) | attempt, effort, endeavor, endeavour, try | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | jehad, jihad | ||
10. | strain (act) an intense or violent exertion | ||
Synonyms | straining | ||
Broader (hypernym) | effort, elbow grease, exertion, sweat, travail | ||
11. | strain (act) the act of singing | ||
Samples | With a shout and a song they marched up to the gates. | ||
Synonyms | song | ||
Broader (hypernym) | vocal music | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | carol, cradlesong, lullaby | ||
English verb: strain | |||
1. | strain (competition) to exert much effort or energy | ||
Samples | Straining our ears to hear. | ||
Synonyms | reach, strive | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s. Somebody ----s PP | ||
Broader (hypernym) | drive, labor, labour, push, tug | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | bother, extend oneself, inconvenience oneself, kill oneself, overexert oneself, trouble, trouble oneself | ||
2. | strain (emotion) test the limits of | ||
Samples | You are trying my patience!. | ||
Synonyms | stress, try | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | afflict | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | rack | ||
3. | strain (consumption) use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity | ||
Samples | He really extended himself when he climbed Kilimanjaro. Don't strain your mind too much. | ||
Synonyms | extend | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | apply, employ, use, utilise, utilize | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | overextend, overstrain, task, tax | ||
4. | strain (contact) separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements | ||
Samples | Sift the flour. | ||
Synonyms | sieve, sift | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | separate | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | fan, resift, rice, riddle, screen, winnow | ||
5. | strain (body) cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious | ||
Samples | He got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up. | ||
Synonyms | tense, tense up | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s somebody | ||
Broader (hypernym) | affect | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | extend, stretch | ||
Cause | tense, tense up | ||
Antonyms | make relaxed, unlax, unstrain, relax, unwind, loosen up | ||
6. | strain (contact) become stretched or tense or taut | ||
Samples | The bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed;. The rope strained when the weight was attached. | ||
Synonyms | tense | ||
Pattern of use | Something ----s | ||
Broader (hypernym) | tighten | ||
7. | strain (contact) remove by passing through a filter | ||
Samples | Filter out the impurities. | ||
Synonyms | filter, filter out, filtrate, separate out | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | separate | ||
8. | strain (contact) rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender | ||
Samples | Puree the vegetables for the baby. | ||
Synonyms | puree | ||
Pattern of use | Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | rub | ||
Domain category | cookery, cooking, preparation | ||
9. | strain (change) alter the shape of (something) by stress | ||
Samples | His body was deformed by leprosy. | ||
Synonyms | deform, distort | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | form, shape | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | jaundice | ||