Definition of Strain

Noun

• the act of singing
  "with a shout and a song they marched up to the gates"
  song
• an intense or violent exertion
  straining
• an effortful attempt to attain a goal
  striving nisus pains
• the general meaning or substance of an utterance
  "although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument"
  tenor
• injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse)
  results in swelling and pain
  
• (biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups
  "a new strain of microorganisms"
  form variant - var.
• 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"
  breed stock
• (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"
  - mental strain - nervous strain
• a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
  "she was humming an air from Beethoven"
  tune melody air - melodic line line - melodic phrase
• 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"- R.J.Samuelson
  stress
• (physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
  

Verb

• alter the shape of (something) by stress
  "His body was deformed by leprosy"
  deform distort
• rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender
  "puree the vegetables for the baby"
  puree
• remove by passing through a filter
  "filter out the impurities"
  filter filtrate - separate out - filter out
• become stretched or tense or taut
  "the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed
  " "the rope strained when the weight was attached"
  tense
• cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
  "he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up"
  tense - tense up
• separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements
  "sift the flour"
  sift sieve
• 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"
  extend
• test the limits of
  "You are trying my patience!"
  try stress
• to exert much effort or energy
  "straining our ears to hear"
  strive reach

• Scrabble® score of the strain (6)
• Word Chums® score of the strain (7)
• Words With Friends® score of the strain (7)