strand

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈstrand 

: the land bordering a body of water : shore, beach

strand

2 of 5

verb (1)

stranded; stranding; strands

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: to become stranded

strand

3 of 5

noun (2)

1

Scotland and dialects of England : stream

2

Scotland and dialects of England : sea

strand

4 of 5

noun (3)

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

strand

5 of 5

verb (2)

stranded; stranding; strands

transitive verb

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

Synonyms of strand

Noun (1)

• beach
• shoreline

Verb (1)

• leave
• abandon

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

Noun

Each strand is like a beautiful clump of calligraphy all tangled up in itself, as captivating and lonely as any earthwork. — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 17 July 2026

Here a team of engineers used strands of carbon fiber to form the body of a rocket, which looked like a mummy being wrapped in ribbons of plastic. — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

Verb

Phillips then struck out Christian Vazquez and Pena to strand two runners in scoring position and breezed through the third and fourth. — Miami Herald, 22 July 2026

More than 20 day-trippers, campers and anglers were temporarily stranded at Gunnison National Park after mudslides blocked East Portal Road, officials added. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old Norse strǫnd shore

Noun (2)

Middle English stronde, strande

Noun (3)

Middle English strond

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1621, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing strand

• inter-strand

Rhymes for strand

• band
• banned
• bland
• brand
• canned
• fanned
• gland
• lande
• mande
• manned
• panned
• planned

Kids Definition

strand

1 of 3 noun

ˈstrand 

: the land bordering a body of water : shore, beach

strand

2 of 3 verb

1

: 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 noun

1

: 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

ˈstrand 

: something (as a molecular chain) resembling a thread

a strand of DNA