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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of straining
Then open the shaker, add ice, and shake good and hard for eight to 10 seconds before straining up.
—
Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 16 May 2026
This type of planning often focuses on helping households manage risk without unnecessarily straining cash flow.
—Wes Moss, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
When a heat wave hits, millions of air conditioners switch on at once, straining the electric grid and driving up the risk of outages — and residents’ power bills.
—Kiki Sideris, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Now the artificial intelligence boom behind much of that wealth is straining the region’s power market, pushing up costs for residents in the lakeside towns below.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 13 May 2026
In Africa, higher energy and import costs are similarly straining budgets, widening deficits and driving up inflation.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
The Utah data center would require more than double the electricity the state currently consumes in a year, CNN reported, although O’Leary has said the project will avoid straining the local electric grid by generating its own power with natural gas.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 11 May 2026
About eight in 10 respondents said gas prices are straining their household budgets, and 63% blame Trump for that increase given the war with Iran.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 9 May 2026
The Amalfi Coast draws millions of tourists each year — and the surge is now straining the region.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 16 May 2026
This type of planning often focuses on helping households manage risk without unnecessarily straining cash flow.
—Wes Moss, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
When a heat wave hits, millions of air conditioners switch on at once, straining the electric grid and driving up the risk of outages — and residents’ power bills.
—Kiki Sideris, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Now the artificial intelligence boom behind much of that wealth is straining the region’s power market, pushing up costs for residents in the lakeside towns below.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 13 May 2026
In Africa, higher energy and import costs are similarly straining budgets, widening deficits and driving up inflation.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
The Utah data center would require more than double the electricity the state currently consumes in a year, CNN reported, although O’Leary has said the project will avoid straining the local electric grid by generating its own power with natural gas.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 11 May 2026
About eight in 10 respondents said gas prices are straining their household budgets, and 63% blame Trump for that increase given the war with Iran.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 9 May 2026
The Amalfi Coast draws millions of tourists each year — and the surge is now straining the region.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straining
Verb
-
The Wall Street wine guys of the eighties, now elderly, seem to be pulling the ladder up behind them.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
This entire island’s economy used to depend on them pulling the heavy wooden wheels of old-school olive presses.—
Jennifer Leigh Parker,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The finding helps explain how the brains of people with typical hearing are able to solve the cocktail party problem by selecting one voice to amplify while filtering out others.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
14 May 2026
-
After Wednesday's high of 91 at DFW, highs are expected around 92 Thursday afternoon, with partly to mostly sunny skies and more high clouds filtering in compared to Wednesday.—
Nelly Carreño,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Many libraries’ orders went unfulfilled, and all but the largest ones were left struggling to get popular titles to their patrons.—
Adeel Hassan,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Across Oahu’s North Shore, an area famed for its big-wave surfing, the small farms that help supply the island’s food are struggling after back-to-back storms in March brought the state’s worst flooding in two decades.—
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The fashion is already as glittering as ever, with jury member Demi Moore, along with fellow actors Jane Fonda and Maika Monroe all arriving for opening night dripping in sequins.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
-
Eating a cold slice of cantaloupe over a kitchen sink, its juices dripping down your forearms, is one of summer’s greatest pleasures.—
Janet McCracken,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The Cascadia Subduction Zone is a 700-mile fault stretching from Northern California to British Columbia and separates the Juan de Fuca and North America tectonic plates, according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN).—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
-
Rai said the additional five years, stretching the patent from 2026 to 2031, likely stem from the Hatch-Waxman Act, a 1984 law that allows drugmakers to extend patents by up to five years to make up for time lost moving their drug through clinical trials and the FDA approval process.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
But while consumers are showing signs of tightening their purse strings , that doesn’t mean the company’s bottom line is likely to come under considerable pressure, according to Citi’s Zaccone.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
-
House Bill 837 cut the statute of limitations for general negligence claims from four years to two, tightening the window to take action.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Sitting just to the left of the net with American goaltender Connor Hellebuyck still hugging the opposite post, MacKinnon sailed a wrist shot just wide of the pipes.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
-
Goodell had some fun onstage, hugging Buck in the increasingly aggressive way that he has been known to hug players at the draft.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Imagine a place of employment where everyone in the building is laboring to live out their childhood dream.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
10 May 2026
-
Just three had received fewer innings per game from their starters, increasing the burden on a bullpen laboring under the strain.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straining. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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