Strain
Last Updated: January 2, 2026 at 12:30 PM
Scrabble:6 ptsWWF:7 pts6 letters
Definition of Strain
Noun
- Race; lineage, pedigree.
- A particular variety of a microbe, virus, or other organism, usually a taxonomically infraspecific one.
"They say this year's flu virus is a particularly virulent strain."
- Hereditary character, quality, tendency, or disposition.
"There is a strain of madness in her family."
- Any sustained note or movement; a song; a distinct portion of an ode or other poem; also, the pervading note, or burden, of a song, poem, etc.
- Language that is eloquent, poetic, or otherwise heightened.
"(The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)"
Verb
- To hold tightly, to clasp.
- To apply a force or forces to by stretching out.
"to strain a rope; to strain the shrouds of a ship"
- To damage by drawing, stretching, or the exertion of force.
"The gale strained the timbers of the ship."
- To act upon, in any way, so as to cause change of form or volume, as when bending a beam.
- To exert or struggle (to do something), especially to stretch (one's senses, faculties etc.) beyond what is normal or comfortable.
"Sitting in back, I strained to hear the speaker."
Noun
- The act of straining, or the state of being strained.
- A violent effort; an excessive and hurtful exertion or tension, as of the muscles.
"he jumped up with a strain"
- An injury resulting from violent effort; a sprain.
- A dimensionless measure of object deformation either referring to engineering strain or true strain.
- The track of a deer.
Anagrams of Strain
Words You Can Make
50 words can be made from the letters in "strain":