under (a/the) strain
idiom
: having to do too much, dealing with a difficult problem, etc.
She has been under (a lot of) strain lately.
He is holding up under the strain.
He cracked/collapsed/buckled under the strain.
Examples of under (a/the) strain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There is a risk, however, that intensive Israeli military action across the West Bank will put the Gaza ceasefire under strain.
—
Tim Lister and Eugenia Yosef, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025
Only a few months later, when thousands descended on the city during Jackson State University’s homecoming game, the water system nearly collapsed under the strain.
—Catherine Coleman Flowers, TIME, 28 Jan. 2025
It was previously thought that DeepSeek’s systems may be under strain due to a huge influx of new users downloading the app, which is said to rival Western AI services like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropics Claude.
—Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 27 Jan. 2025
The Trump administration’s swift actions have left the BOP reeling, with staffing, morale, and operations all under strain.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for under (a/the) strain 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Tim Lister and Eugenia Yosef, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025
Only a few months later, when thousands descended on the city during Jackson State University’s homecoming game, the water system nearly collapsed under the strain.
—Catherine Coleman Flowers, TIME, 28 Jan. 2025
It was previously thought that DeepSeek’s systems may be under strain due to a huge influx of new users downloading the app, which is said to rival Western AI services like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropics Claude.
—Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 27 Jan. 2025
The Trump administration’s swift actions have left the BOP reeling, with staffing, morale, and operations all under strain.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for under (a/the) strain
Dictionary Entries Near under (a/the) strain
Cite this Entry
“Under (a/the) strain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/under%20%28a%2Fthe%29%20strain. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share