1
as in lineage
the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended
descended from a strain of Irish seafarers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in shred
a very small amount
detected a strain of panic in her voice when she asked if the substance was poisonous
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in type
a number of persons or things that are grouped together because they have something in common
writes mystery novels of a more sophisticated strain
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in stress
the burden on one's emotional or mental well-being created by demands on one's time
the family's constant moving is putting a real strain on the children
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
3
as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
the whole department is straining to complete the project before the deadline
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to drip
to flow forth slowly through small openings
put the cooked fruit in a cheesecloth bag and let the juice strain into a pan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to stretch
to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress
strained her memory but the name just wouldn't come to her
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
7
as in to hug
to put one's arms around and press tightly
the woman tenderly strained to her breast the child that she had long ago given up for dead
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of strain
Alexander Tin, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2025
Borrowers who fail to recertify on time risk being placed into a higher monthly payment plan, which could lead to financial strain.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2025
Trump's push for Ukraine to repay U.S. aid and grant access to its mineral resources has strained relations with Kyiv and European allies.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for strain
Noun
Earlier data reported by the CDC suggested that this season's flu vaccines might be poorly matched against many H3N2 strains this season.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2025
Borrowers who fail to recertify on time risk being placed into a higher monthly payment plan, which could lead to financial strain.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
Verb
These measures strain relations not just with China but also with key allies like Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.
—Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2025
Trump's push for Ukraine to repay U.S. aid and grant access to its mineral resources has strained relations with Kyiv and European allies.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for strain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strain
Verb
-
Brands began to pull together resources to support refugees.—
Stephan Rabimov,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
-
The 13-minute performance will likely call for a healthy dose of vibrant, colored lighting to pull it all together.—
Kelly Allen,
House Beautiful,
10 Feb. 2023
Verb
-
That hike will start filtering through to New England's pumps soon, and could add 20 to 40 cents a gallon, retail fuel experts said.—
Nicole Jao,
USA TODAY,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Training data sets contain so much text, in fact, that finding and filtering out the benchmarks is extremely difficult.—
Alex Reisner,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile, Courtney Eaton is still struggling to accept Lottie’s fate while playing the character’s teen counterpart in the ’90s wilderness.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Why is Skype Shutting Down? Skype, which Microsoft acquired for $8.5 billion back in 2011, has struggled to maintain relevance in the face of competition from apps like Zoom, WhatsApp, and FaceTime.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Rain delay Wednesday’s game tipped-off about a half hour later than originally scheduled because of a small leak in the Gampel Pavilion roof that dripped water onto the baseline in front of the UConn bench.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
6 Mar. 2025
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In a ruling dripping with irony, Circuit Judge Keathan Frink denied to issue an injunction because Stevens had withdrawn as a candidate to support a third contender, Commissioner Todd Drosky, the only logical choice for mayor (who has this newspaper’s endorsement).—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
No official tally of firings has been released, but the list stretches into the thousands and to nearly every part of the country.—
Matt Sedensky,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2025
-
However, gardeners may not be aware that harvests from their garden’s plants can be stretched simply by expanding to non-traditional parts of their plants.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
But the race has tightened between him and Brody, who is predicted to take home the Best Actor prize for his riveting performance as a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor in the three-and-half hour-plus saga.—
Karu F. Daniels,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2025
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Portugal and Greece Ramp Up Golden Visas Golden visas offer EU residency through investment, but rising concerns over housing, security and fairness have caused many countries to shut them down or tighten regulations.—
Passport by ForbesLife,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Cena hugged him, but then followed a signal from the Rock to attack.—
Shaheem Reid,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2025
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Cena, the 16-time world champion, hugged Rhodes, only to eerily smirk at The Rock while displaying a throat slash gesture.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Displays of authenticity, executed improperly, can damage reputations and even derail careers.—
Harrison Monarth,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Moon dust plagued astronauts and spacecraft during NASA’s Apollo program in the mid-20th century, as the fine and abrasive material damaged camera lenses and visors, according to NASA.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Strain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strain. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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