strain

Meanings

• (physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
• difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension; ; - R.J.Samuelson
  • "she endured the stresses and strains of life"
• a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
• (psychology) nervousness resulting from mental stress
  • "his responsibilities were a constant strain"
  • "the mental strain of staying alert hour after hour was too much for him"
• a special variety of domesticated animals within a species
  • "he created a new strain of sheep"
• (biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups
  • "a new strain of microorganisms"
• injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse); results in swelling and pain
• the general meaning or substance of an utterance
• an effortful attempt to attain a goal
• an intense or violent exertion
• the act of singing
• to exert much effort or energy
  • "straining our ears to hear"
• test the limits of
• use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity
  • "Don't strain your mind too much"
• separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements
• cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
• become stretched or tense or taut
  • "the rope strained when the weight was attached"
• remove by passing through a filter
• rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender
• alter the shape of (something) by stress

Synonyms

air, breed, deform, distort, extend, filter, filter out, filtrate, form, line, melodic line, melodic phrase, melody, mental strain, nervous strain, nisus, pains, puree, reach, separate out, sieve, sift, song, stock, straining, stress, strive, striving, tenor, tense, tense up, try, tune, var., variant