Skip to definition.
Get the FREE one-click dictionary software for Windows or the iPhone/iPad and Android apps


Adjective: straining  strey-ning
  1. Taxing to the utmost; testing powers of endurance
    "his final, straining burst of speed";
    - arduous, strenuous
Noun: straining  strey-ning
  1. An intense or violent exertion
    - strain
     
  2. The act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean
    - distortion, overrefinement, torture, twisting
Verb: strain  streyn
  1. To exert much effort or energy
    "straining our ears to hear";
    - strive, reach
     
  2. Test the limits of
    "You are straining my patience!";
    - try, stress
     
  3. Use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity
    "Don't strain your mind too much";
    - extend
     
  4. Separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements
    "strain the flour";
    - sift, sieve
     
  5. Cause to be tense and uneasy, nervous or anxious
    - tense, tense up
     
  6. Become stretched, tense or taut
    "the rope strained when the weight was attached";
    - tense
     
  7. Remove by passing through a filter
    "strain out the impurities";
    - filter, filtrate, separate out, filter out
     
  8. (cooking) rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender
    "strain the vegetables for the baby";
    - puree, purée
     
  9. Alter the shape of (something) by stress
    - deform, distort

Derived forms: strainings

See also: effortful

Type of: affect, afflict, apply, drive, effort, elbow grease, employ, exertion, falsification, form, labor [US], labour [Brit, Cdn], misrepresentation, plough [Brit], plough on [Brit], plow [US], plow on [US], push, rub, separate, shape, sweat, tighten, travail [literary], tug, use, utilise [Brit], utilize

Antonym: unlax

Encyclopedia: Straining

Strain, John