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
Hold the bridge 3 to 4 inches off the floor — just high enough to avoid arching or straining your lower back.
—
Dana Santas, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
There’s a car chase through the countryside that’s all straining steel and revving engines and a sequence in a London nightclub — every action movie apparently needs one — that shows off close-quarter murder beautifully choreographed as clueless dancers sway.
—Mark Kennedy, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
Here, as with Job — a recent tech thriller onstage that was far more shocking than Data, though also quite neat — theater is still straining to address the question of how people get subsumed by Silicon Valley’s layers of compromise.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 29 Jan. 2026
Global competition has made survival for our cotton growers difficult, straining rural communities and destabilizing our supply chain.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 27 Jan. 2026
Yet the term actually dates back to the Covid-19 pandemic, when the seismic impact from widespread shutdowns was just coming into focus and economists all over the world began straining to predict what an eventual recovery would look like.
—Trevor Bach, Dallas Morning News, 26 Jan. 2026
This flu season, rougher than average, is straining emergency departments nationwide, including Morgan’s.
—Richard Fowler, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The pancreas releases more insulin to lower blood sugar levels, further straining metabolism.
—Caitlin Beale, Health, 20 Jan. 2026
With belt-cinching streamers straining to do more with less, sloppy vibe calibration has become a common problem.
—Judy Berman, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
Dana Santas, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
There’s a car chase through the countryside that’s all straining steel and revving engines and a sequence in a London nightclub — every action movie apparently needs one — that shows off close-quarter murder beautifully choreographed as clueless dancers sway.
—Mark Kennedy, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
Here, as with Job — a recent tech thriller onstage that was far more shocking than Data, though also quite neat — theater is still straining to address the question of how people get subsumed by Silicon Valley’s layers of compromise.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 29 Jan. 2026
Global competition has made survival for our cotton growers difficult, straining rural communities and destabilizing our supply chain.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 27 Jan. 2026
Yet the term actually dates back to the Covid-19 pandemic, when the seismic impact from widespread shutdowns was just coming into focus and economists all over the world began straining to predict what an eventual recovery would look like.
—Trevor Bach, Dallas Morning News, 26 Jan. 2026
This flu season, rougher than average, is straining emergency departments nationwide, including Morgan’s.
—Richard Fowler, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The pancreas releases more insulin to lower blood sugar levels, further straining metabolism.
—Caitlin Beale, Health, 20 Jan. 2026
With belt-cinching streamers straining to do more with less, sloppy vibe calibration has become a common problem.
—Judy Berman, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straining
Verb
-
At a union hall in San Diego last November, Gavin Newsom—the tall, coiffed governor of California, and, since last year, one of the Democrats’ best hopes for pulling together a shattered country—stood to one side in white shirtsleeves and waited for his turn to address the crowd.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Wagner wasn’t as fortunate with his 7-iron shot, pulling it left into the rough (and scuffing the bottom of his club).—
Jay Posner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Lines have formed for the bathroom, and protesters are routinely filtering in and out of the store to escape the cold.—
Stephen Gruber-Miller,
Des Moines Register,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Instead of just filtering by age or distance, the system weighs emotional compatibility, conflict styles, and expectations around commitment to suggest a smaller set of matches with higher odds of genuine chemistry.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
While a win over struggling Rutgers, which has lost five in a row, isn’t the biggest addition to USC’s résumé, every win in Big Ten play is critical for the Trojans, who hope to build their case for an NCAA tournament berth.—
Sean Campbell,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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Our state government is struggling to pass audits, electric rates are rising and, despite Moore’s sunny pronouncements, the cost of rebuilding the Key Bridge has exploded from less than 2 billion to more than 5 billion dollars.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The restaurant closed for the day after sustaining interior damage, including inches of standing water on the floor and leaks dripping from the ceiling in several areas.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Keep your faucets dripping throughout the weekend into Tuesday to keep your pipes from freezing.—
Star-Telegram staff,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Giaccio also incorporates stretching and foam rolling into her recovery process.—
Michelle Bruton,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
On a typical $50,000 new-car loan with a $10,000 down payment and 8% APR, stretching financing from 48 months to 84 months can add nearly $5,500 in extra interest over the life of the loan.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The biotech beauty company is launching DermCeutical EDL, a topical bioactive ingredient that claims to deliver skin-tightening benefits.—
Kathryn Hopkins,
Footwear News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The drinks will be available during concerts at the venue starting in early February and will serve as a test case for cannabis in mainstream venues even as lawmakers debate tightening rules around the category over safety concerns.—
Brandon Gomez,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
They had been caught hugging and kissing in a public bathroom.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
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From there the trail angles towards Wasson, hugging first one side of the high shoulder and then the other.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In the summer of 2024, UNICEF’s representative in Congo suggested that 361,000 children might be laboring in mines in southern Congo, though this number seems implausibly high and drew quick opprobrium from Congolese NGOs that work on the issue.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
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What viewers didn’t see was the 40 hours Daniels spent laboring on the project from inside a bomb shelter during a 2025 missile attack in Kyiv.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straining. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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