strain meaning and definition

STRAIN noun

Definition of strain (noun)

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"; "he presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger"- R.J.Samuelson
   • synonyms: stress
3. a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
   • "she was humming an air from Beethoven"
   • synonyms: air, line, melodic line, melodic phrase, melody, tune
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"
   • synonyms: mental strain, nervous strain
5. a special variety of domesticated animals within a species
   • "he experimented on a particular breed of white rats"; "he created a new strain of sheep"
   • synonyms: breed, stock
6. (biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups
   • "a new strain of microorganisms"
   • synonyms: form, var., variant
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 tenor of his argument"
   • synonyms: tenor
9. an effortful attempt to attain a goal
   • synonyms: nisus, pains, striving
10. an intense or violent exertion
    • synonyms: straining
11. the act of singing
    • "with a shout and a song they marched up to the gates"
    • synonyms: song

STRAIN verb

Definition of strain (verb)

1. to exert much effort or energy
   • "straining our ears to hear"
   • synonyms: reach, strive
2. test the limits of
   • "You are trying my patience!"
   • synonyms: stress, try
3. use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity
   • "He really extended himself when he climbed Kilimanjaro"; "Don't strain your mind too much"
   • synonyms: extend
4. separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements
   • "sift the flour"
   • synonyms: sieve, sift
5. cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
   • "he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up"
   • synonyms: tense, tense up
   • antonym: loosen up
6. become stretched or tense or taut
   • "the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed;" "the rope strained when the weight was attached"
   • synonyms: tense
7. remove by passing through a filter
   • "filter out the impurities"
   • synonyms: filter, filter out, filtrate, separate out
8. rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender
   • "puree the vegetables for the baby"
   • synonyms: puree
9. alter the shape of (something) by stress
   • "His body was deformed by leprosy"
   • synonyms: deform, distort