strain

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English Vietnamese dictionary

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Advanced English dictionary

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noun, verb
+ noun
worry / anxiety
1 [U, C] pressure on sb/sth because they have too much to do or manage, or sth very difficult to deal with; the problems, worry or anxiety that this produces: Their marriage is under great strain at the moment. + These repayments are putting a strain on our finances. + Relax, and let us take the strain (= do things for you). + The transport service cannot cope with the strain of so many additional passengers. + You will learn to cope with the stresses and strains of public life. + I found it a strain having to concentrate for so long. + There are strains in the relationship between the two countries.
physical pressure
2 [U, C] the pressure that is put on sth when a physical force stretches, pushes, or pulls it: The rope broke under the strain. + You should try not to place too much strain on muscles and joints. + The ground here cannot take the strain of a large building. + The cable has a 140kg breaking strain (= it will break when it is stretched or pulled by a force greater than this).
injury
3 [C, U] an injury to a part of your body, such as a muscle, that is caused by using it too much or by twisting it: a calf / groin / leg strain + muscle strain
type of plant / animal / disease
4 [C] a particular type of plant or animal, or of a disease caused by bacteria, etc: a new strain of mosquitoes resistant to the poison + This is only one of the many strains of the disease.
in sb's character
5 [C, usually sing.] a particular tendency in the character of a person or group, or a quality in their manner
Synonym: STREAK
He had a definite strain of snobbery in him.
of music
6 [C, usually pl.] (formal) the sound of music being played or sung: She could hear the strains of Mozart through the window.
+ verb
injure
1 [VN] to injure yourself or part of your body by making it work too hard: to strain a muscle + You'll strain your back carrying those heavy suitcases.
make effort
2 ~ (sth) (for sth)
~ (sth) (to do sth) to make an effort to do sth, using all your mental or physical strength: [VN to inf] I strained my ears (= listened very hard) to catch what they were saying. + [VN] Necks were strained for a glimpse of the stranger. + [V to inf] People were straining to see what was going on. + [V] He burst to the surface, straining for air. + Bend gently to the left without straining.
stretch to limit
3 [VN] to try to make sth do more than it is able to do: The sudden influx of visitors is straining hotels in the town to the limit. + His constant complaints were straining our patience. + The dispute has strained relations between the two countries (= made them difficult). + Her latest version of events strained their credulity still further.
push / pull hard
4 [V +adv./prep.] to push hard against sth; to pull hard on sth: She strained against the ropes that held her. + The dogs were straining at the leash, eager to get to the park.
separate solid from liquid
5 [VN] ~ sth (off) to pour food, etc. through sth with very small holes in it, for example a SIEVE, in order to separate the solid part from the liquid part: Use a colander to strain the vegetables. + Strain off any excess liquid.
Idioms: strain at the leash (informal) to want to do sth very much: Like all youngsters, he's straining at the leash to leave home.
strain every nerve / sinew (to do sth) (written) to try as hard as you can to do sth: He strained every nerve to snatch victory from defeat.
more at CREAK v.

Thesaurus dictionary

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v.

1 stretch, force, tax, overtax, burden, overburden, overwork, push; exceed, surpass:

His story that a bushy-haired intruder had shot her strained the jury's credulity.

2 push, pull, tug, heave, stretch, twist, wrench, struggle:

As he strained at his bonds the rope cut more deeply into his wrists.

3 injure, hurt, harm, impair, damage, overwork, tax, pull, tear, twist, wrench:

I strained my back lifting that box of books.

4 stretch, crane, twist; try (hard), struggle, strive, labour, toil, push, make an effort, exert oneself:

She strained to catch a glimpse of the prince. They strained to hear every word.

5 filter, sift, drain, screen, sieve; winnow, draw off, separate; purify, seep, percolate:

Strain the soup to remove the bones. Strain the dregs from the wine. The water is then strained through sand.

n.

6 sprain, injury, damage, harm, wrench:

Strains often hurt more than broken bones.

7 anxiety, worry; effort, exertion, stress, tension, pressure, burden; tax, demand, obligation:

The strain began to tell on all of us. Another rope was needed to relieve the strain on the first. This advertising budget will put a great strain on our resources.

8 Often, strains. air, melody, tune, song, sound, music:

In the distance I made out the faint strains of skirling bagpipes.

9 tenor, tone, drift, inclination, tendency, quality, spirit, mood, humour, character, complexion, cast, impression, thread, vein, theme:

I detected a mellowing strain in her letters.

n.

1 family, stock, ancestry, roots, extraction, derivation, (family) background, heritage, descent, parentage, lineage, pedigree, bloodline, race, line, descendants:

This sample of sweet pea came from an entirely different strain.

2 trace, hint, suggestion, suspicion, soupçon, streak, trait, mark, indication, vestige, evidence, sign:

There was a definite strain of ruthlessness in her character.

Collocation dictionary

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¹ severe demand on strength, resources, etc.

ADJ.

considerable, enormous, great, heavy, real, severe, terrible, tremendous

It's a real strain having to get up so early!

| slight | increasing | constant | excessive, intolerable, unbearable, undue | emotional, financial, mental, nervous, physical, psychological

The mental strain of sharing an office with Alison was starting to tell.

| breaking

a fishing line with a 15lb breaking strain

VERB + STRAIN

be/come under, feel, suffer (from)

Television newsreaders come under enormous strain. After weeks of overtime, she was starting to feel the strain.

| cause, create, impose, place, put

Increasing demand is placing undue strain on services.

| ease, reduce | cope with, stand, take | increase

STRAIN + VERB

show, take its toll (on sb), tell (on sb)

After six weeks of uncertainty, the strain was beginning to take its toll.

PREP.

under the ~

The ice gave way under the strain. He broke under the strain of having to work twelve hours a day.

| ~ on

There's too much strain on the corner of the table.

PHRASES

a bit of a strain

I found it a bit of a strain making conversation with her.

| signs of strain

After three years, their marriage was beginning to show signs of strain.

| stresses and strains

the stresses and strains of a long day

| take the strain off sb/out of sth

The new scheme is designed to take the strain out of shopping.

² injury

ADJ.

bad | slight | back, eye, muscle, thigh, etc.

VERB + STRAIN

have, be suffering from | get

You'll get eye strain if you don't put the light on.

| recover from, shake off

Gerrard will play if he can shake off a slight thigh strain.

¹ make a great effort to do sth

ADV.

hard

straining hard to understand

| forward

I strained forward to get a better view.

VERB + STRAIN

have to

PREP.

against

The dogs were straining against the sledge.

| at

Several men were straining at a rope, trying to move the stalled vehicle.

| for

Their ears strained for any slight sound.

PHRASES

strain to hear/see sth

We had to strain to hear what was being said.

² put a lot of pressure on sth

ADV.

seriously, severely

The dispute severely strained relations between the two countries.

Concise English dictionary

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strains|strained|strainingstreɪn
noun
+(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
+difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension
+a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
+(psychology) nervousness resulting from mental stress
+a special variety of domesticated animals within a species
+(biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups
+a lineage or race of people
+injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse); results in swelling and pain
+the general meaning or substance of an utterance
+an effortful attempt to attain a goal
+an intense or violent exertion
+the act of singing
verb
+to exert much effort or energy
+test the limits of
+use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity
+separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements
+cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
+become stretched or tense or taught
+remove by passing through a filter
+rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender
+alter the shape of (something) by stress

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