strain
noun.
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
noun.
difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension
she endured the stresses and strains of life|he presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger
Synonym: stress
noun.
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
she was humming an air from Beethoven
Synonym: tune, melody, melodic phrase, melodic line, line, air
noun.
(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
Synonym: nervous strain, mental strain
noun.
a special variety of domesticated animals within a species
he experimented on a particular breed of white rats|he created a new strain of sheep
Synonym: breed, stock
noun.
(biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups
a new strain of microorganisms
Synonym: form, var., variant
noun.
injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse); results in swelling and pain
noun.
the general meaning or substance of an utterance
although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument
Synonym: tenor
noun.
an effortful attempt to attain a goal
Synonym: nisus, pains, striving
noun.
an intense or violent exertion
Synonym: straining
noun.
the act of singing
with a shout and a song they marched up to the gates
Synonym: song
verb.
to exert much effort or energy
straining our ears to hear
Synonym: reach, strive
verb.
test the limits of
You are trying my patience!
Synonym: stress, try
verb.
use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity
He really extended himself when he climbed Kilimanjaro|Don't strain your mind too much
Synonym: extend
verb.
separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements
sift the flour
Synonym: sieve, sift
verb.
cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up
Synonym: tense, tense up
verb.
become stretched or tense or taut
the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed|the rope strained when the weight was attached
Synonym: tense
verb.
remove by passing through a filter
filter out the impurities
Synonym: filter, filter out, filtrate, separate out
verb.
rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender
puree the vegetables for the baby
Synonym: puree
verb.
alter the shape of (something) by stress
His body was deformed by leprosy
Synonym: deform, distort
Antonym: unstrain