1
as in lineages
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
as in melodies
a rhythmic series of musical tones arranged to give a pleasing effect
the strain of an old Irish ballad rose up from the revelers downstairs
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in splashes
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 types
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 stresses
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
as in pulls
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
2
as in filters
to pass through a filter
better strain that coffee thoroughly to get all the grounds out
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in struggles
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 drips
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 stretches
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 hugs
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 strains
Ryan Brennan
june 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 June 2026
At one event in the backyard of a handsome home in Concord, Emanuel greeted voters and practiced a stump speech that highlighted strains on the middle class and the excesses of the tax system.
—ABC News, 9 June 2026
At the same time, recent reporting has underscored operational strains inside the agency itself.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 June 2026
The broader aim is to build vaccines that provide protection across entire viral lineages rather than single strains.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 June 2026
In general, Grade 2 oblique strains have at least a four-to-six-week recovery timeline.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 5 June 2026
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026
That’s because Four Roses produces two mashbills and uses five yeast strains, although in the future that will expand to 20 recipes after two new mashbills were introduced in 2024 (those won’t be ready for a few more years, though).
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 2 June 2026
Heritage strains tend to be grown with fewer pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, and some people who react poorly to modern wheat tolerate them better.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026
Shirl Leigh
june 08, New Atlas, 8 June 2026
Hundreds of people — 10% of whom were recent college graduates — applied to a job listing for shepherds in Inner Mongolia, reflecting China’s labor market strains.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 7 June 2026
As of May 27, 119 people across 36 states had been infected with one of the outbreak strains, and 32 people had been hospitalized.
—Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
Yeast strains that may have lain dormant in the mummy for millennia, some of which were specially adapted to extreme cold, may still be metabolically active, a new study published in Microbiome finds.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 3 June 2026
Probiotic supplements can also vary significantly in quality, number, and types of bacteria strains.
—Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 2 June 2026
Some public health specialists have suggested that Bundibugyo may be slightly less deadly than other Ebola strains.
—Will Gretsky, ABC News, 1 June 2026
The diplomat's patience strains against the psychologist's reading of urgency.
—Rafael Pimentel Pinto, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Cities are just starting to get a handle on the costs associated with the crisis, including fire and police department costs and strains on city resources.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Noun
Different sources feed different strains of gut bacteria.
—Ryan Brennan
june 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 June 2026
At one event in the backyard of a handsome home in Concord, Emanuel greeted voters and practiced a stump speech that highlighted strains on the middle class and the excesses of the tax system.
—ABC News, 9 June 2026
At the same time, recent reporting has underscored operational strains inside the agency itself.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 June 2026
The broader aim is to build vaccines that provide protection across entire viral lineages rather than single strains.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 June 2026
In general, Grade 2 oblique strains have at least a four-to-six-week recovery timeline.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 5 June 2026
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026
That’s because Four Roses produces two mashbills and uses five yeast strains, although in the future that will expand to 20 recipes after two new mashbills were introduced in 2024 (those won’t be ready for a few more years, though).
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 2 June 2026
Heritage strains tend to be grown with fewer pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, and some people who react poorly to modern wheat tolerate them better.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026
Verb
With minor formula tweaks, architectural components can be produced with an array of colors that can range from yellow to brown tones by adding natural pigments or colorful yeast strains.
—Shirl Leigh
june 08, New Atlas, 8 June 2026
Hundreds of people — 10% of whom were recent college graduates — applied to a job listing for shepherds in Inner Mongolia, reflecting China’s labor market strains.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 7 June 2026
As of May 27, 119 people across 36 states had been infected with one of the outbreak strains, and 32 people had been hospitalized.
—Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
Yeast strains that may have lain dormant in the mummy for millennia, some of which were specially adapted to extreme cold, may still be metabolically active, a new study published in Microbiome finds.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 3 June 2026
Probiotic supplements can also vary significantly in quality, number, and types of bacteria strains.
—Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 2 June 2026
Some public health specialists have suggested that Bundibugyo may be slightly less deadly than other Ebola strains.
—Will Gretsky, ABC News, 1 June 2026
The diplomat's patience strains against the psychologist's reading of urgency.
—Rafael Pimentel Pinto, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Cities are just starting to get a handle on the costs associated with the crisis, including fire and police department costs and strains on city resources.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strains
Noun
-
Just eight phylotypes appeared on more than 70% of participants, and those dominant lineages accounted for roughly a third of all bacterial sequences detected.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
Consistent with this, researchers continued to find clusters of genes in eukaryotes that came from lineages other than alphaproteobacteria.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
This is an album in which harsh, scraping sounds make sweet vocal melodies sound even sweeter, where that kindness of spirit may flicker but never quite fades away.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
1 June 2026
-
Oba Femi Inalpi Arena sang along to the melodies of Brock Lesnar’s iconic theme song.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
The lines are clean and sharp, the palette muted, approaching grayscale (which makes later splashes of color, like in the gaudy decor of a talk show or the blood-rust-red of a post-apocalyptic sky, pop even more), and motion within the frame is kept to a minimum.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
12 June 2026
-
Hockney’s paintings of pool water and splashes demonstrated his obsession with capturing elemental natural phenomena, even in suburban settings.—
Mark Rozzo,
Vanity Fair,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
One of the real forefronts in the field right now is figuring out how to solve the delivery problem for all these other tissue types.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
11 June 2026
-
Though diamond art kits have been popular for the past several years, sales are up 28% on Michaels' platform, indicating that these types of crafts are still generating new interest.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
According to a new paper, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, accumulative stresses in the Earth’s crust in California are higher today than at any point over the last 1,000 years, raising concerns over the potential for a massive rupture in the Los Angeles region.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
10 June 2026
-
In addition to the stresses of fatherhood, Nathan has to balance his bosun duties while dealing with last season's fallout with Joe Bradley.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Coming to the glum realization that love isn’t outlasting infatuation is trickier to write about than a more incendiary subject like unfaithfulness, but Rodrigo pulls it off.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
12 June 2026
-
In the end, an inexperienced minor – who has no idea who hired them – pulls the trigger.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Garvey, a former Illinois rental property owner, said requiring upfront payment for background checks filters out applicants unlikely to pass one.—
Jack O'Connor,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
-
Clean range hood filters monthly to prevent grease buildup and maintain proper ventilation.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Ray struggles to hide his drink, to get a drink, to get away on his own and pursue his Sisyphean labors of hammering a bucket of baseballs off a tee and then wandering through the field to collect them and start again.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
-
Roki Sasaki struggles in loss Former Dodger Miguel Vargas delivered the go-ahead hit for the White Sox in the fifth inning as part of a game-defining seven-run rally.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strains. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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