under (a/the) strain

idiom

: having to do too much, dealing with a difficult problem, etc.

She has been under (a lot of) strain lately.

He is holding up under the strain.

He cracked/collapsed/buckled under the strain.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

At current levels of warming, for instance, food production is starting to come under strain. —Brad Plumer, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Mar. 2023

China’s social security system is likely to come under strain as there will be fewer workers to fund things like pensions and health care – as demand for these services surges due to the graying population. —Jessie Yeung, CNN, 18 Jan. 2023

Such scenes of reunions, however, jarred with others of protests in some cities around China over the weekend, in a reminder of how the economy remains under strain. —Reuters, NBC News, 8 Jan. 2023

The City of El Paso saw much of the migrant influx and officials and aid workers remain under strain to care for those still there. —Quinn Owen, ABC News, 21 Dec. 2022

Amazon's retail business, which covers its physical and online retail business and its logistics operations, has been under strain after the surge of demand and breakneck expansion during the pandemic. —Arkansas Online, 15 Nov. 2022

So why does James seem to be under strain at the office, needing to gin up serious sums of money, fast? —Daniel D'addario, Variety, 26 July 2022

Yet while resources are scarce and the VAWG sector is under strain, the transphobic lobby is currently attempting to sue a rape crisis centre in Sussex (a provider of women-only spaces) for including a trans woman in their women’s support group. —Janey Starling, refinery29.com, 28 June 2022

Some experts are optimistic that the case numbers so far offer glimmers of hope that this spring will not bring a second Omicron surge on the magnitude of those seen elsewhere — such as Britain, where hospitals have once again come under strain. —Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2022

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