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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 12 Jan. 2026
The unrest comes as the Islamic republic has been increasingly vulnerable with leaders facing mounting internal and domestic strains and a population growing angrier over a deepening economic crisis.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2026
Paul Eremenko, Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026
Lee was accompanied by a 400-member business delegation days after a group of Japanese executives put their annual visit to Beijing on hold for the first time in 13 years, suggesting that corporate diplomacy has strained under China-Japan tensions.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strain
Noun
But at ultra-high strain rates, dislocations accelerate fast enough to start interacting with the material’s vibrating atoms.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 12 Jan. 2026
The unrest comes as the Islamic republic has been increasingly vulnerable with leaders facing mounting internal and domestic strains and a population growing angrier over a deepening economic crisis.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2026
Verb
Traditional information security methods are strained by the opacity of models with hundreds of billions of parameters spread across a complex patchwork of cloud tenancies.
—Paul Eremenko, Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026
Lee was accompanied by a 400-member business delegation days after a group of Japanese executives put their annual visit to Beijing on hold for the first time in 13 years, suggesting that corporate diplomacy has strained under China-Japan tensions.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for strain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strain
Verb
-
Environmental justice and conservation advocates’ push to advance a bill aimed at strengthening California’s Environmental Quality Act stalled, as the measure was pulled from Monday’s hearing agenda.—
Chaewon Chung
Updated January 12,
Sacbee.com,
13 Jan. 2026
-
McHale hosted from 2004 to 2015, pulling double duty during the latter half of his time there with his role as Jeff Winger on Community.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Fran Drescher’s skin looked so poreless and filtered at the Golden Globes thanks to the Double Take Liquid Foundation.—
Eva Thomas,
InStyle,
14 Jan. 2026
-
If the recovering addicts’ primary task was to filter out women who wouldn’t qualify to sue—namely, those who didn’t have pelvic mesh or who did but weren’t in pain—Blake’s was to amp up the value of their lawsuits (and attorneys’ fees) by convincing them to have their mesh surgically removed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
His strength on defense was particularly impressive for a freshman, as TCU big men Xavier Edmonds and David Punch struggled to create good looks inside the lane thanks in large part to the defense of Peat.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Players throughout the Heat’s rotation struggled to make shots.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Jessica Chastain wore a custom Cucinelli gown dripping in diamond accents and talked shop with DuVernay.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2026
-
As fog passes through, tiny droplets cling to the mesh, combine and drip into gutters that funnel the water into storage tanks.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The good times were short-lived, and fans headed for the exits as the Cavs stretched the lead to 22 midway through the fourth.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Some other unconventional methods include steaming the fabric to soften the threads and then stretch, as well as wetting the garment and then pining it down at the correct size, like how crocheters stretch out granny squares.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Progressive caucus members have also discussed legislation to tighten the reporting requirements for multinational corporations who might shift profits into tax havens offshore.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
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Georgia cut the lead to 59-52 on a 3-pointer by Kanon Catchings, but the Bulldogs missed their next seven of eight shots as Florida’s defense tightened its grip.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The overall pessimism is leading people to stay put in their current jobs out of fear of facing a challenging job market, also known as job hugging.—
Jennifer Liu,
CNBC,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The crowd started kissing and hugging and crying — New Year’s Eve who?—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Some government offices and financial institutions were damaged during the unrest, residents said, while merchants reported being ordered to reopen businesses despite ongoing security operations.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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The gunfire damaged the car’s rear end, trunk, tail light and rear window louver, according to court documents.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strain. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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