streak

1 of 2

noun

1
: a line or mark of a different color or texture from the ground : stripe
2
a
: the color of the fine powder of a mineral obtained by scratching or rubbing against a hard white surface and constituting an important distinguishing character
b
: inoculum implanted in a line on a solid medium
c
: any of numerous virus diseases of plants (such as tobacco and corn) resembling mosaic but usually producing at least some linear markings
3
a
: a narrow band of light
b
: a lightning bolt
4
a
: a slight admixture : trace
had a mean streak in him
b
: a brief run (as of luck)
c
: a consecutive series
was on a winning streak
5
: a narrow layer (as of fat)
6
: an act or instance of streaking

streak

2 of 2

verb

streaked; streaking; streaks

transitive verb

: to make streaks on or in
tears streaking her face

intransitive verb

1
: to move swiftly : rush
a jet streaking across the sky
2
: to have a streak (as of winning or outstanding performances)
3
: to run naked through a public place
streaker noun

Examples of streak in a Sentence

Noun He left streaks where he wiped the glass. The miners had streaks of coal dust on their faces. a streak of 11 straight victories Verb A shooting star streaked across the sky. A skateboarder streaked past us.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The winning streak not only captured the attention of area sports fans and AHL observers, but he Predators showed the Admirals some love in Nashville but putting up the record on the big screen at Bridgestone Arena. Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024 New York has outscored opponents 11-0 in the first 20 minutes during its winning streak. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Diane Warren Continues to Be the Susan Lucci of the Oscars Diane Warren continues two remarkable streaks. Kate Aurthur, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 Despite the limited roster, the Sea Lions entered Saturday on a three-game winning streak. Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 Ferrera has been on a glamorous style streak this awards season. Sabienna Bowman, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024 Over its six-game winning streak, college basketball analyst Bart Torvik’s power ratings has KC ranked at No. 80, best among the Summit League’s teams. Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 Related article Four tips to save on real estate commissions Thursday’s decline caps a four-week streak of rising rates and will likely draw even more people to the spring market. Anna Bahney, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Her lucky streak ended while trying to spot dolphins on a ferry headed to Anacapa Island off the coast of Southern California. Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
Verb
Cena and Jimmy Kimmel paid tribute to the man who streaked at the 1974 Oscars. Dustin Nelson, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024 The afternoon seemed drab under its gray blanket of clouds, streaked by lower clouds of even darker gray. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024 The 49ers have lost the rebounding matchup in all four of their conference losses this season and must attack the glass to keep the streaking Bulls from securing their first AAC regular season championship with two games to play. Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2024 The play call wasn’t bad either; Mahomes took the shotgun snap, rolled to his right to get the Ravens defense off balance and found tight end Travis Kelce streaking across the middle of the field for 13 yards. Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024 The Wolverines shot better than 50% from the floor but rode their defense in the fourth quarter to streak past Cabot 54-45 in the first round of the Class 6A boys state tournament at Charging Wildcat Arena in North Little Rock. Erick Taylor, arkansasonline.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Instead of using a higher-pile material like terry cloth used for a dish towel, a tea towel does not leave lint or streaks behind. Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2024 With Tyrese Haliburton still out and two other starters missing with shorter-term injuries, the Pacers ran into a buzzsaw in Utah and were blown out 132-105 by the streaking Jazz. Dustin Dopirak, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Jan. 2024 Many of the few eagles who reside here are tagged, but this one was not, and the tail was streaked with black, not yet pure white, suggesting an immature age of 4 to 5 years. Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'streak.' 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

Noun

Middle English streke, from Old English strica; akin to Old High German strich line, Latin striga row — more at strike

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1576, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of streak was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near streak

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

streak

1 of 2 noun
1
: a line or mark of a different color or texture from its background : stripe
2
: the color of the fine powder of a mineral obtained by scratching or rubbing against a hard white surface
3
a
: a narrow band of light
b
: a lightning bolt
4
a
: a small amount : trace, strain
streak of stubbornness
b
: a brief period or series
a streak of luck
was on a winning streak
5
: a narrow layer
a streak of fat in bacon

streak

2 of 2 verb
1
: to make or have streaks on or in
2
: to move swiftly : rush
a jet streaking across the sky

Medical Definition

streak

1 of 2 noun
1
: a usually irregular line or stripe see primitive streak
2
: inoculum implanted (as with a needle drawn across the surface) in a line on a solid medium

streak

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to implant (inoculum) in a line on a solid medium

More from Merriam-Webster on streak

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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