strain

Examples

• All

• "Beautiful night," he spoke, a strain of hopefulness in his voice.

  Fiction book (1998)

• Softly to her ears came the low strains of a violin.

  Fiction book (2000)

• - You were a quarter tone flat the entire last strain!

  Cradle Will Rock (1999)

• You will rise, and the strains of music will accompany you.

  Fiction book (2001)

• Then, from a little cafe, came the strains of a waltz.

  The Boy Friend (1971)

• The red station wagon creeps along the highway to the whistled strains of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm."

  Fiction book (1993)

• - And alone at night... under a canopy of tropical stars... with the soft strains of a Viennese waltz coming from the salon.

  Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

• Suffused lighting, elegant tile work featuring evocative mosaics, the quiet strains of classical music.

  Fiction book (1998)

• We can hear distant revelry and the strains of "Auld Lang Syne."

  Fiction book (1994)

• From somewhere down the street comes the strain of a familiar carol.

Synonyms

T

tune

vsstrain

327 1.0

A series of musical notes that you can sing or hum

is used mainly in literary or archaic contexts not everyday speech

L

line

vsstrain

• Specialized

179 7.2

A single musical tune or clear sound frequency

in this sense is the older word for a whole tune, not technical uses

M

melody

vsstrain

146 1.8

A series of musical notes that form the main tune of a song

is an older literary term rather than the common modern word

A

air

vsstrain

31 6.6

A simple tune that you can easily sing or hum

is the old-fashioned literary term rather than a modern informal one

M

musical phrase

vsstrain

• Specialized

1 3.4

A short group of notes that sounds complete in a piece of music

names the whole tune in literary style rather than a brief section

M

melodic line

vsstrain

• Specialized

1 4.5

A line of musical notes that forms the main tune

emphasizes older literary usage rather than neutral technical wording

M

melodic phrase

vsstrain

• Specialized

1 4.9

A short group of notes that sounds like one musical idea

refers to an entire tune in literary usage rather than a short part

Idioms

S

to strain every nerve

• Informal

1 7.2

Try as hard as possible to do something

S

to strain at a gnat

• Informal

9.9

To focus too much on small details and ignore bigger problems

S

to strain at the leash

• Informal

7.1

To want to start doing something very eagerly while being held back

Compounds

V

virulent strain

• Specialized

2 6.5

A very strong germ that spreads easily and makes people very sick

E

eye strain

1 3.2

Eyes that feel tired or sore after looking at screens for too long

M

mental strain

1 5.1

A feeling of worry and tiredness after thinking for a long time

N

nervous strain

1 5.8

A feeling of being very nervous and tired after a long time of stress

S

strain gage

• Specialized

6.1

A tool that measures how much a material changes shape when pushed or pulled

S

strain gauge

• Specialized

6.3

A small object that measures how much a surface stretches or bends

S

strain in someone's back

4.0

A pain in the back muscles that comes after lifting or sudden movement

Surface Forms

Etymology