stranded; stranding; strands
1
: to run, drive, or cause to drift onto a strand : run aground
a stranded boat
2
: to leave in a strange or an unfavorable place especially without funds or means to depart
His car broke down and he was stranded in the middle of nowhere.
3
: to leave (a base runner) on base at the end of an inning in baseball
: to become stranded
1
a
: fibers or filaments twisted, plaited, or laid parallel to form a unit for further twisting or plaiting into yarn, thread, rope, or cordage
b
: one of the wires twisted together or laid parallel to form a wire rope or cable
c
: something (such as a molecular chain) resembling a strand
a strand of DNA
2
a
: an element (such as a yarn or thread) of a woven or plaited material
b
: a threadlike piece of natural or synthetic material
a strand of hair
3
: an elongated or twisted and plaited body resembling a rope
a strand of pearls
4
: one of the elements interwoven in a complex whole
one strand of the novel's plot
stranded; stranding; strands
1
: to break a strand of (a rope) accidentally
2
a
: to form (something, such as a rope) from strands
b
: to play out, twist, or arrange in a strand
Examples of strand in a Sentence
Noun (1)
the wishful dream of living an indolent, idyllic existence on some far-off strand
Verb (1)
the ghostly remains of ships that had been stranded by the reef
he just drove off, stranding her in some dinky town with just a few bucks and the clothes she was wearing
Recent Examples on the Web
Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 30 Dec. 2025
It’s also packed with proteins, which help strengthen strands.
—Nykia Spradley, Glamour, 30 Dec. 2025
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Dec. 2025
His cell phone video shows a Los Angeles County Fire Protection District helicopter lowering onto the roof of their next door neighbor's home after they got stranded on their roof by the flood.
—Zach Boetto, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for strand
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Noun
Saffron is a spice known for its crimson strands, widely used in culinary applications worldwide.
—Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 30 Dec. 2025
It’s also packed with proteins, which help strengthen strands.
—Nykia Spradley, Glamour, 30 Dec. 2025
Verb
Should Netflix prevail, WBD’s cable assets would be split off, effectively stranding the linear networks as the industry leader cannibalizes the content engine for its digital platform.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Dec. 2025
His cell phone video shows a Los Angeles County Fire Protection District helicopter lowering onto the roof of their next door neighbor's home after they got stranded on their roof by the flood.
—Zach Boetto, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for strand
Cite this Entry
“Strand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strand. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
strand
2 of 3 verb1
: to run aground : beach
boats stranded by the storm
2
: to leave in a strange or an unfavorable place especially without a way of departing
stranded in a strange city
strand
3 of 3 noun1
: one of the fibers, threads, strings, or wires twisted or braided to make a cord, rope, or cable
2
: something resembling a strand
a strand of pearls
a strand of DNA
3
: one of the elements of a complicated whole
the strands of a legal argument
Etymology
Noun
Old English strand "shore"
Noun
Middle English strond "strand, fiber"
Medical Definition
strand
noun
: something (as a molecular chain) resembling a thread
a strand of DNA
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