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strain

Definition

  • noun: a feeling of stress and worry that you have because you are trying to do too much, are dealing with a difficult problem, etc.
  • noun: a group of presumed common ancestry with clear-cut physiological but usually not morphological distinctions
  • verb: to injure (a body part or muscle) by too much tension, use, or effort
  • verb: to draw tight
  • usually singular
  • synonyms: lineage, race, stock

Examples

  • People were 'straining their necks' [=were lifting their heads as high as they could by stretching their necks] to see the fight.

  • He 'cracked/collapsed/buckled under the strain'. [=he was not able to deal with the pressure]

  • I 'strained my ears' to hear [=I tried very hard to hear] what they were whispering.

Movie clips

Movie quotes

  • (..) in the ground down there. They're just falling into it. Silver mines, gold mines, tin mines. Payrolls so heavy we'd strain ourselves stealing them. You just keep thinking, Butch. That's what you're good at. Boy, I got vision, (..)
    1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid