strand

1 of 5

noun (1)

: 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
2
: to leave in a strange or an unfavorable place especially without funds or means to depart
3
: to leave (a base runner) on base at the end of an inning in baseball

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

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
Also, a strand of his hair was found embedded in the girl's underwear. Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 1 Oct. 2024 After premiering in the New Directors strand at San Sebastian, the drama takes a short break to play in the BFI London Film Festival in another competitive strand. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Sep. 2024 In short, the more dryness your strands have, the more frizz is prone to descend chaos upon your look. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2024 Whitney, 31, added a touch of glam by sporting an updo, which featured a strand of her brown locks hanging in loose waves, and kept her makeup natural with a light pink lip and a touch of blush. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 27 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for strand 

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near strand

Cite this Entry

“Strand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strand. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

strand

1 of 3 noun
: 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
: something (as a molecular chain) resembling a thread
a strand of DNA

More from Merriam-Webster on strand

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