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
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2
as in filtering
to pass through a filter
better strain that coffee thoroughly to get all the grounds out
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3
as in struggling
to devote serious and sustained effort
the whole department is straining to complete the project before the deadline
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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
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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
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6
as in tightening
to draw tight
the dog strained its leash trying to get to the cat
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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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Recent Examples of straining
Ukraine is grappling with a critical manpower problem on the front line and is straining to hold back Russia’s grinding assaults.
—
Hanna Arhirova and Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024
Yeah, no more straining to do all that with your middle fingers.
—Stack Commerce, Popular Science, 2 Oct. 2024
While exporters of durable goods don't face the same time crunch as those of perishable goods with a tight expiration date, tires and other products could still be stuck at ports amid the strike, straining the industry.
—Avery Lotz, Axios, 1 Oct. 2024
The storm then brought torrential rain to the Carolinas and Tennessee, straining dams and overflowing waterways.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 1 Oct. 2024
An elliptical machine can help people get the benefits of power walking or running without straining their joints.
—Cory Martin, Verywell Health, 1 Oct. 2024
Springfield’s Skyrocketing Rents Today, the new arrivals are straining resources in ways that directly impact the American taxpayer and investor alike.
—Frank Holmes, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Hanna Arhirova and Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024
Yeah, no more straining to do all that with your middle fingers.
—Stack Commerce, Popular Science, 2 Oct. 2024
While exporters of durable goods don't face the same time crunch as those of perishable goods with a tight expiration date, tires and other products could still be stuck at ports amid the strike, straining the industry.
—Avery Lotz, Axios, 1 Oct. 2024
The storm then brought torrential rain to the Carolinas and Tennessee, straining dams and overflowing waterways.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 1 Oct. 2024
An elliptical machine can help people get the benefits of power walking or running without straining their joints.
—Cory Martin, Verywell Health, 1 Oct. 2024
Springfield’s Skyrocketing Rents Today, the new arrivals are straining resources in ways that directly impact the American taxpayer and investor alike.
—Frank Holmes, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straining
Verb
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When the night’s at its blackest, this is for those who are holding the light, guiding the lost and pulling us through.Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 4 Oct. 2024
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Germany is concerned that any vote against Beijing could trigger a trade war with tit-for-tat tariffs, ultimately hurting the region more than pulling back on enhanced tariffs for Chinese EVs.Eleanor Pringle, Fortune Europe, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The struggling online retailer is in the midst of trying to effect a turnaround of its operations.Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 4 Oct. 2024
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Witnesses told investigators that Thomas was seen hours later struggling to drag something wrapped in a blue tarp down the apartment building stairs before placing the tarp in Abraham’s car, according to the affidavit.Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Industry sources say Net-a-porter has been progressively tightening its belt ahead of sale and buying only brands with 80 percent sell-throughs or more.David Moin, WWD, 3 Oct. 2024
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Rates remained that way until March 2022 when central bankers started their tightening cycle to fight inflation.Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Police are still trying to better understand what led to the shooting.Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 17 Nov. 2024
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Scientists are also trying to exploit the fungus’s sensitivity to temperature by building Bd-free habitats or moving frogs to locales where the fungus can’t survive.Martin J. Kernan, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2024
Verb
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In the movie, a bright, striving teenager navigates the terrors of Jim Crow South and makes a split-decision that recasts the course of his life.Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2024
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His son describes him as an outspoken advocate for positive portrayals of African Americans in television and film, consistently striving to create more diverse and accurate representations of his community.Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Walking upright slowed the transit of food through the system, meaning that waste material became lodged in the bands of the large intestine, setting the flora of the gut off balance and seeping poison into the rest of the body.Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024
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The Pit is a lot fairer now, with the holy law of share and share alike seeping deeper into the tower with each rotation.David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Donnelly said the winds changed overnight, pushing the blaze back over the border to New Jersey.Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024
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Pressure And Expectations High expectations placed on leaders can lead to burnout, sometimes pushing them toward unethical behavior.Gabriel McCurtis, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Albeit the shift to default maximum protections has triggered the current Epic Games lawsuit, which claims Samsung and Google are working together to make third-party app installs overly difficult.Zak Doffman, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
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Baby boomers are the most likely generation to be working multiple jobs at once, as inflation and high costs of living are making retirement a more distant dream.Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near straining
Cite this Entry
“Straining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straining. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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