strain

I 1. verb

1)

take care that you don't strain yourself

Syn:

overtax, overwork, overextend, overreach, drive too far; exhaust, wear out; overdo it; informal knock oneself out

2)

you have strained a muscle

Syn:

injure, damage, pull, wrench, twist, sprain

3)

we strained to haul the guns up the slope

Syn:

struggle, labor, toil, make every effort, try very hard, break one's back, push/drive oneself to the limit; informal pull out all the stops, go all out, bust a gut

4)

the flood of refugees is straining the relief services

Syn:

make excessive demands on, overtax, be too much for, test, tax, put a strain on

5)

the bear strained at the chain

Syn:

pull, tug, heave, haul, jerk; informal yank

6) archaic

she strained the infant to her bosom

Syn:

clasp, press, clutch, hold tight; embrace, hug, enfold, envelop

7)

strain the mixture

Syn:

sieve, sift, filter, screen, riddle; rare filtrate

2. noun

1)

the rope snapped under the strain

Syn:

tension, tightness, tautness

2)

muscle strain

Syn:

injury, sprain, wrench, twist

3)

the strain of her job

Syn:

pressure, demands, burdens; stress; informal hassle

4)

Nancy was showing signs of strain

Syn:

stress, (nervous) tension; exhaustion, fatigue, pressure of work, overwork

5)

the strains of Brahms's lullaby

Syn:

sound, music; melody, tune

II noun

1)

a different strain of flu

Syn:

variety, kind, type, sort; breed, genus

2)

McCallum was of Puritan strain

Syn:

descent, ancestry, origin(s), parentage, lineage, extraction, family, roots

3)

there was a strain of insanity in the family

Syn:

tendency, susceptibility, propensity, proneness; trait, disposition

4)

a strain of solemnity

Syn:

element, strand, vein, note, trace, touch, suggestion, hint