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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

1. (physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
    
2. Difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension
   "she endured the stresses and strains of life";
   - stress
    
3. A succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
   - tune, melody, air, melodic line, line, melodic phrase
    
4. (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"; "his responsibilities were a constant nervous strain";
   - mental strain, nervous strain
    
5. A special variety of domesticated animals within a species
   "he created a new strain of sheep";
   - breed, stock
    
6. (biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups
   "a new strain of microorganisms";
   - form, variant
    
7. Injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse); results in swelling and pain
    
8. The general meaning or substance of an utterance
   "although I disagreed with him I could follow the strain of his argument";
   - tenor
    
9. An effortful attempt to attain a goal
   - striving, nisus, pains
    
10. An intense or violent exertion
    - straining
     
11. The act of singing
    "with a shout and a strain they marched up to the gates";
    - song

Derived forms: straining, strains, strained

Type of: affect, afflict, animal group, apply, attempt, deformation, difficultness, difficulty, drive, effort, elbow grease, employ, endeavor [US], endeavour [Brit, Cdn], exertion, fix [informal], form, harm, hole [informal], hurt, injury, jam [informal], kettle of fish [informal], labor [US], labour [Brit, Cdn], meaning, mess [informal], muddle [informal], music, nerves, nervousness, pickle [informal], plough [Brit], plough on [Brit], plow [US], plow on [US], push, rub, separate, shape, substance, sweat, taxon, taxonomic category, taxonomic group, tighten, trauma, travail [literary], try, tug, use, utilise [Brit], utilize, variety, vocal music

Antonym: unlax

Part of: species

Encyclopedia: Strain, John