1
as in lineage
the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended
descended from a strain of Irish seafarers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in shred
a very small amount
detected a strain of panic in her voice when she asked if the substance was poisonous
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in type
a number of persons or things that are grouped together because they have something in common
writes mystery novels of a more sophisticated strain
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in stress
the burden on one's emotional or mental well-being created by demands on one's time
the family's constant moving is putting a real strain on the children
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
3
as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
the whole department is straining to complete the project before the deadline
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to drip
to flow forth slowly through small openings
put the cooked fruit in a cheesecloth bag and let the juice strain into a pan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to stretch
to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress
strained her memory but the name just wouldn't come to her
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6
7
as in to hug
to put one's arms around and press tightly
the woman tenderly strained to her breast the child that she had long ago given up for dead
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of strain
Zac Anderson, USA Today, 8 May 2025
This indicates possible variability of income and a strain on budgets.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025
Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 8 May 2025
First, federal student loan repayments have resumed after a three-year pandemic pause, straining household budgets.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for strain
Noun
The agency has been under strain amid the wave of federal layoffs and buyouts pushed by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 8 May 2025
This indicates possible variability of income and a strain on budgets.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025
Verb
The right-wing populists strained to display their loyalty and affinity.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 8 May 2025
First, federal student loan repayments have resumed after a three-year pandemic pause, straining household budgets.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for strain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strain
Verb
-
Brands began to pull together resources to support refugees.—
Stephan Rabimov,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
-
The 13-minute performance will likely call for a healthy dose of vibrant, colored lighting to pull it all together.—
Kelly Allen,
House Beautiful,
10 Feb. 2023
Verb
-
These elements all contribute to a powerful sense of place, which has literally been filtered through a cinephile’s lens.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
18 May 2025
-
Beyond the culinary aspect, our olive grove, garden and apiary provide a rare opportunity for guests to directly reconnect with nature at a time when so many experiences are filtered through a digital screen.—
Roger Sands,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
Verb
-
Too often over the last few years, the Red Sox have struggled to dispatch bad teams.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Hartford Courant,
11 May 2025
-
By the time Bush left office, major banks and investment banks were struggling to stay alive, and that was just the ones that didn’t die in 2008.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
Verb
-
Dressed up as a neo-noir Western, this pandemic saga drips with the kind of biting, dark political humor hardly seen much since the heyday of screenwriter and novelist Terry Southern, author of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
16 May 2025
-
Inside the Church of La Compañía, Baroque altars drip with gold leaf, while the ceilings are carved with indigenous iconography layered beneath Christian motifs.—
Natalie Stoclet,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Verb
-
The National Weather Service issued heat advisories for areas in Texas that stretch from the Texas Hill Country and the Rio Grande to the state's east coast.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
-
First identified in the 1970s by NASA's Viking mission, long, dark markings snake down Martian slopes, sometimes stretching across Mars' surface for hundreds of feet.—
Victoria Corless,
Space.com,
19 May 2025
Verb
-
One set of local institutions that hasn’t had to tighten its belt this year?—
Mark Schneider,
National Review,
12 May 2025
-
Unfortunately, tightening the hinge screws won't be enough to correct this problem.—
Timothy Dale,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 May 2025
Verb
-
On one hand, the Pacers essentially had four-on-four opportunities with Haliburton and his defender all but hugging 30+-feet from the rim.—
Tony East,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
-
Ozturk, who appeared remotely from Louisiana and testified before the court, was seen hugging her lawyer after Sessions delivered his decision from the bench.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
10 May 2025
Verb
-
Gary said people who had their homes damaged in the March storms can apply online for federal assistance or meet with state and local officials in person.—
Neal Earley,
Arkansas Online,
16 May 2025
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Could this dialing back up be artificially controlled when the brain is too damaged to do so itself?—
Sarah Zhang,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Strain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strain. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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