strain

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /stɹeɪn/, SAMPA: /streIn/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

Noun

Singular strain

Plural strains

1. A tune, melody or song.

   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.
3. Extreme effort to do some work.
4. Family or lineage.

Synonyms

• exertion
• melody
• organism
• ancestry
• descent

Antonyms

• lazing
• idling

Verb

Plain form strain

Third-person singular strains

Past tense strained

Past participle strained

Present participle straining

1. To find it difficult to do something and work too hard to do it.

   He strained to see his friend from so far away.

2. To force something or apply a force.

Synonyms

• exert
• grind

Antonyms

• idle
• laze