1
as in pulling
to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure
in order to lift something heavy, squat down and lift with your legs, or you'll strain your back
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in filtering
to pass through a filter
better strain that coffee thoroughly to get all the grounds out
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in struggling
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 dripping
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 stretching
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
as in tightening
to draw tight
the dog strained its leash trying to get to the cat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in hugging
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 straining
Jeffries added that the rising cost of living is already straining households and argued the conflict is now driving energy costs even higher.
—
Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 12 Apr. 2026
Emergency managers from several states say the funding backlog is having a ripple effect in communities, straining local budgets and delaying or potentially derailing disaster projects that have taken years to plan.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Apr. 2026
The mucus coughed into his hands, sometimes blood, both the reality of his lung muscles straining so much.
—Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Nearby, former Haiti senator Joseph Joël John leaned over a wall, straining to follow the conversation with his limited understanding of both languages.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
The swarm of Gulfstreams, Phenoms and Challengers is straining Augusta Regional Airport.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026
Adam is out, so Elaine and Allison dive into the latest news, including how China and artificial intelligence are straining biotech VC firms, in addition to more M&A.
—Elaine Chen, STAT, 9 Apr. 2026
By giving its staffers in the lowest tax brackets a boost in the homebuying process, BNY is targeting one of the biggest affordability crises straining its workforce.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2026
Reaves missed 19 games after straining his left calf on Christmas.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 12 Apr. 2026
Emergency managers from several states say the funding backlog is having a ripple effect in communities, straining local budgets and delaying or potentially derailing disaster projects that have taken years to plan.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Apr. 2026
The mucus coughed into his hands, sometimes blood, both the reality of his lung muscles straining so much.
—Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Nearby, former Haiti senator Joseph Joël John leaned over a wall, straining to follow the conversation with his limited understanding of both languages.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
The swarm of Gulfstreams, Phenoms and Challengers is straining Augusta Regional Airport.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026
Adam is out, so Elaine and Allison dive into the latest news, including how China and artificial intelligence are straining biotech VC firms, in addition to more M&A.
—Elaine Chen, STAT, 9 Apr. 2026
By giving its staffers in the lowest tax brackets a boost in the homebuying process, BNY is targeting one of the biggest affordability crises straining its workforce.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2026
Reaves missed 19 games after straining his left calf on Christmas.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straining
Verb
-
Just like Hailey Bieber—who opted for a ’90s-era, yellow and pink-trimmed Dior slip—Jenner had her fun with pulling festival-ready archive fashion.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Rodrigo is pulling double duty as musical guest on her episode, followed by Noah Kahan and Paul McCartney.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While falling oil prices may ease immediate inflation fears, the broader impact of energy spikes during the war is still filtering through the global economy.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Instead, the record pulls from a specific strain of ’80s Australian rock, filtering it through a darker, post-punk lens inspired by bands like the Sisters of Mercy and Magazine.—
SPIN Staff,
SPIN,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Dave Walton, a corn, soybean, and hay farmer in Iowa and vice president of the American Soybean Association, said in March that some of his neighbors didn’t have cash on hand last fall to buy fertilizer and were struggling to budget for fertilizer due to high prices.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
But even a young woman struggling with the patriarchal conundrum of cool-girl syndrome (to be independent and accepted) might reveal more of a snappish turn of mind than Grace does.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That, of course, and the occasional ghostly presences, unsettling cries, and blood dripping from the ceiling.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Blown out, extravagant, dripping with ferocious malaise and desperation, but precisely arranged for the maximum possible emotional effect.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For a family stretching a tight grocery budget, $22 isn’t a smoothie.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Much of Colorado’s growth is now concentrated in a belt of counties stretching from Weld down to Elbert and El Paso counties, temporarily bypassing Arapahoe, which had the state’s biggest population loss in raw numbers.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The battlefield is narrowing and the timeline is tightening in a congressional redistricting contest among states seeking a partisan advantage ahead of the November midterm elections.—
David A. Lieb,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Climate volatility, for one, is tightening the constraints of agriculture.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Photos originally published by the New York Post’s Page Six showed the coach and journalist holding hands, hugging and sitting in a pool in bathing suits at a resort bungalow in Sedona, Arizona.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
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But that big gap in the middle—and the fact that many ships are hugging the northern shoreline—shows that captains were not eager to test the open-sea route without Tehran's approval.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Put differently, eliminating tax on overtime reduces the number of hours each day that hourly workers are laboring not for themselves or their families but for the government.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
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The difference early was that Keller was throwing strikes at an astonishing rate and quickly working through his innings, while King was laboring.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straining. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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