as in beaches
the usually sandy or gravelly land bordering a body of water
the wishful dream of living an indolent, idyllic existence on some far-off strand
Synonyms & Similar Words
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1
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as in leaves
to cause to remain behind
he just drove off, stranding her in some dinky town with just a few bucks and the clothes she was wearing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of strands
Sarah Felbin, Allure, 26 Apr. 2026
The jewel is part of a set; the other piece is a large aquamarine stone at the center of five strands of pearls.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
What Mayor Quinton Lucas referred to as all the strands coming together included Sherman’s homage to former Mayor Kay Barnes, under whose leadership the pivotal Power & Light District and what’s now known as T-Mobile Center were built nearly 20 years ago.
—Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
Called knot invariants, these tools each measure some aspect of a knot — a pattern formed by its interwoven strands, perhaps, or the topology of the space surrounding it.
—Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 22 Apr. 2026
Long strands like spaghetti or linguine may not bulk up quite as much after cooking, while short shapes like penne or rigatoni can swell up in size, taking up more plate space.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 22 Apr. 2026
In closing arguments the prosecutor said strands of the jogger’s hair had been found on the teens’ clothing, a bit of forensic evidence that would later be proven wrong.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
There are also some heavy hitters outside of the festival’s competition strands.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2026
Plus, the spray can be used on damp or dry hair and works especially well before heat styling, helping protect strands while locking in hold.
—Olivia Cefalu, InStyle, 8 Apr. 2026
Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Then there’s the murky void of David Zinn’s set, which strands the characters up until the final scene in New England apartments and hotel rooms rendered entirely in black.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
The film stars Ryan Gosling as a middle-school science teacher who ends up on a mission to save mankind that strands him in space by himself.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Crystal beads were then added on top of the pearl strands for an even more dazzling arrangement.
—Emma Banks, InStyle, 12 Mar. 2026
Hall strands him with his third K of the day.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026
Most of the options that Reclamation has studied to date lead to unacceptable risks of dead pool at Lake Mead — a prospect that strands water behind Hoover Dam as the surface level drops below hydropower and outlet tubes, said John Berggren, regional policy manager for Western Resource Advocates.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Focusing strictly on survival, the History series strands 10 individuals by themselves in the wilderness, testing their primal instincts and adaptability.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Feb. 2026
However, when a shipwreck strands the two of them on a deserted island, Annie discovers Chopper is a fraud and knows nothing about survival, leaving her in charge of keeping them alive.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Dec. 2025
Noun
Shop our go-tos for soft, shiny strands below.
—Sarah Felbin, Allure, 26 Apr. 2026
The jewel is part of a set; the other piece is a large aquamarine stone at the center of five strands of pearls.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
What Mayor Quinton Lucas referred to as all the strands coming together included Sherman’s homage to former Mayor Kay Barnes, under whose leadership the pivotal Power & Light District and what’s now known as T-Mobile Center were built nearly 20 years ago.
—Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
Called knot invariants, these tools each measure some aspect of a knot — a pattern formed by its interwoven strands, perhaps, or the topology of the space surrounding it.
—Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 22 Apr. 2026
Long strands like spaghetti or linguine may not bulk up quite as much after cooking, while short shapes like penne or rigatoni can swell up in size, taking up more plate space.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 22 Apr. 2026
In closing arguments the prosecutor said strands of the jogger’s hair had been found on the teens’ clothing, a bit of forensic evidence that would later be proven wrong.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
There are also some heavy hitters outside of the festival’s competition strands.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2026
Plus, the spray can be used on damp or dry hair and works especially well before heat styling, helping protect strands while locking in hold.
—Olivia Cefalu, InStyle, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
Heart of the Beast centers on a former Army Special Forces soldier (Pitt), who fights for survival with his combat dog after a plane crash strands them in the Alaskan wilderness.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Then there’s the murky void of David Zinn’s set, which strands the characters up until the final scene in New England apartments and hotel rooms rendered entirely in black.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
The film stars Ryan Gosling as a middle-school science teacher who ends up on a mission to save mankind that strands him in space by himself.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Crystal beads were then added on top of the pearl strands for an even more dazzling arrangement.
—Emma Banks, InStyle, 12 Mar. 2026
Hall strands him with his third K of the day.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026
Most of the options that Reclamation has studied to date lead to unacceptable risks of dead pool at Lake Mead — a prospect that strands water behind Hoover Dam as the surface level drops below hydropower and outlet tubes, said John Berggren, regional policy manager for Western Resource Advocates.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Focusing strictly on survival, the History series strands 10 individuals by themselves in the wilderness, testing their primal instincts and adaptability.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Feb. 2026
However, when a shipwreck strands the two of them on a deserted island, Annie discovers Chopper is a fraud and knows nothing about survival, leaving her in charge of keeping them alive.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strands
Noun
-
When a body washes ashore in the Long Island vacation town of Amity, police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) tries to close the beaches only to be overruled by the mayor, Vaughn (Murray Hamilton), who fears the loss of tourist revenue.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Flamenco Beach, located on Culebra, a lush island off the east coast of Puerto Rico, has just been named one of the top 50 beaches in the world.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The change launches biannual arguments about the practice, wrecks havoc on sleep and has inspired voters to go to California polls.—
Hannah Poukish,
Sacbee.com,
7 Mar. 2026
-
In a film like this, you’re ostensibly meant to root against the terror that the central characters wrecks on his victims.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The move leaves the Seahawks with a total of six picks in the draft.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Despite the album’s high quality across the board, Mahesh still leaves a few ends loose.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Nearly a decade after selling its dirtier Canadian oil sands assets amid the global transition to clean energy, Big Oil giant Shell is reversing course in Canada and buying ARC Resources for nearly $14 billion.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
While the sun is shining, lounge on the golden sands or have some fun in the water with a Jet Ski ride, paddleboard rental, or sailing excursion.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Researchers in Africa are also concerned about the great white shark and have noticed a decline in their numbers along the coastlines, notably near Cape Town, South Africa.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Oil spilt there has the potential to affect the lives and livelihoods of people along the Gulf coastlines, as well as the region’s rich marine life.—
Antoinette Radford,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strands. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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