strait

1 of 3

noun

1
a
: a comparatively narrow passageway connecting two large bodies of water
often used in plural but singular in construction
b
c
archaic : a narrow space or passage
2
: a situation of perplexity or distress
often used in plural
in dire straits

strait

2 of 3

adjective

1
a
: causing distress : difficult
b
: limited as to means or resources
2
archaic : strict, rigorous
3
archaic
a
: narrow
b
: limited in space or time
c
: closely fitting : constricted, tight
straitly adverb
straitness noun

strait

3 of 3

adverb

obsolete
: in a close or tight manner

Did you know?

strait or straight?

Straight and strait are homophones (“one of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling”), and many people are in the habit of confusing such creatures, particularly when used in fixed phrases. If you express no emotion you have a straight face; an upright person is a straight shooter; a straight flush is “a poker hand containing five cards of the same suit in sequence.” However, if you find yourself in a difficult situation you are in dire straits. Straitjacket and straitlaced are the more commonly used forms for the restrictive garment and the “strict in manners” adjective, although straightjacket and straightlaced are also occasionally found.

Choose the Right Synonym for strait

juncture, exigency, emergency, contingency, pinch, strait (or straits) crisis mean a critical or crucial time or state of affairs.

juncture stresses the significant concurrence or convergence of events.

an important juncture in our country's history

exigency stresses the pressure of restrictions or urgency of demands created by a special situation.

provide for exigencies

emergency applies to a sudden unforeseen situation requiring prompt action to avoid disaster.

the presence of mind needed to deal with emergencies

contingency implies an emergency or exigency that is regarded as possible but uncertain of occurrence.

contingency plans

pinch implies urgency or pressure for action to a less intense degree than exigency or emergency.

come through in a pinch

strait, now commonly straits, applies to a troublesome situation from which escape is extremely difficult.

in dire straits

crisis applies to a juncture whose outcome will make a decisive difference.

a crisis of confidence

Examples of strait in a Sentence

Noun Her campaign is in desperate straits. The company is in desperate financial straits. The economy is in dire straits.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
From 1873 until the 1960s, East Brother Island was home to a manned lighthouse, using its beacon and horn to guide ships through the often-foggy strait that connects San Francisco Bay to San Pablo Bay. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024 Moreover, such small craft can be transported quickly overland, avoiding Russian submarines, as well as the complication of the Montreux Convention, a 1936 diplomatic agreement that allows Turkey to prevent the passage of warships through the straits that lead to the Black Sea. Mark Cancian, Foreign Affairs, 8 Feb. 2024 Its current location — two blocks from Union Station and across the street from a luxury hotel — serves as a reminder of people in desperate straits who are stranded among policymakers, commuters and tourists at the foot of Capitol Hill. Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 21 Jan. 2024 Yemen’s Houthi forces have attacked several commercial ships crossing through the Bab el-Mandeb strait in recent days, creating a new front in the battle between Israel and Hamas and complicating efforts by the U.S. and its allies to secure the critical shipping lane. Benoit Faucon, WSJ, 13 Dec. 2023 The dire straits of the European solar industry is an illustrative example: while the EU achieved record solar installations last year, its own solar panel manufacturers risk going out of business as cheap Chinese solar imports flood in. Mary Hui, Quartz, 13 Feb. 2024 Danish shipping giant Maersk announced a 48-hour pause on all transits through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. NBC News, 2 Jan. 2024 Kyiv had been pushing unsuccessfully for months for the Biden administration to allow European nations to donate U.S.-made fighter jets to Ukraine — perhaps a leak showing the dire straits of Ukraine’s defenses amid waves of Russian missiles and artillery fire would help. Missy Ryan, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023 The accusations are what prompted eight countries, including the United States, to suspend some aid payment to UNRWA, as the agency is known, even as war plunges Palestinians in Gaza into desperate straits. Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 29 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Beijing is hoping that the Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, which favors closer cross-strait trade and exchanges, wins Taiwan’s presidential election next year. Amy B Wang, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2023 Ma says the purpose of his 12-day visit, which is unofficial, is to make offerings to his ancestors, as well as promote cross-strait student exchanges. Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 29 Mar. 2023 Lives lived: Bud Grant was a strait-laced Hall of Fame football coach who led the Minnesota Vikings for 18 years and took the team to four Super Bowls. Lauren Jackson, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2023 But his family has come to oppose his career choice as cross-strait relations have worsened following the 2016 election as president of Tsai Ing-wen, whom Beijing sees as supporting Taiwan independence, and the increasing belligerence of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Lily Kuo, Vic Chiang, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Feb. 2023 Even the seemingly mainstream, strait-laced players, appear suspect. Allison Morrow, CNN, 5 Jan. 2023 In the strait-laced world of business, with a personal net worth of $20 million, running a radio company that launched the hottest hip hop stations in America and pioneered a newfangled idea called sports talk radio, Jeff Smulyan has always worn his laces a bit looser than most. The Indianapolis Star, 6 Dec. 2022 American Apparel, once the hipster city cousin of Abercrombie’s strait-laced suburbanite, lost its cultural pop (and skeevy CEO) in the mid-2010s; it was bought out of bankruptcy by a Canadian company and most of its clothes are no longer made in the United States. Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2021 The strait-laced Portman, a creature of Washington who has served in the House, the White House and the Senate, is retiring and looking to cement his legacy as a pragmatic Republican who rejects the intense partisanship that has gripped Congress in recent years. BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'strait.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French estreit, from Latin strictus strait, strict, from past participle of stringere

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1c

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of strait was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near strait

Cite this Entry

“Strait.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strait. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

strait

noun
ˈstrāt
1
a
: a narrow channel connecting two large bodies of water
often used in plural
b
2
: a situation of confusion or distress
often used in plural
in difficult straits

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