STRAINS Synonyms: 443 Similar and Opposite Words

strains 1 of 3

noun (1)

plural of strain

as in lineages

the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended descended from a strain of Irish seafarers

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as in melodies

a rhythmic series of musical tones arranged to give a pleasing effect the strain of an old Irish ballad rose up from the revelers downstairs

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as in splashes

a very small amount detected a strain of panic in her voice when she asked if the substance was poisonous

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as in types

a number of persons or things that are grouped together because they have something in common writes mystery novels of a more sophisticated strain

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strains

2 of 3

noun (2)

plural of strain

as in stresses

the burden on one's emotional or mental well-being created by demands on one's time the family's constant moving is putting a real strain on the children

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strains

3 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of strain

as in pulls

to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure in order to lift something heavy, squat down and lift with your legs, or you'll strain your back

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as in filters

to pass through a filter better strain that coffee thoroughly to get all the grounds out

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as in struggles

to devote serious and sustained effort the whole department is straining to complete the project before the deadline

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as in drips

to flow forth slowly through small openings put the cooked fruit in a cheesecloth bag and let the juice strain into a pan

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as in stretches

to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress strained her memory but the name just wouldn't come to her

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as in tightens

to draw tight the dog strained its leash trying to get to the cat

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as in hugs

to put one's arms around and press tightly the woman tenderly strained to her breast the child that she had long ago given up for dead

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of strains

Noun

Concern about affording healthcare topped other strains on the household budget, such as food, utilities, and housing costs. — Gabrielle M. Etzel, The Washington Examiner, 8 Oct. 2026 Households already facing budget strains—including rising costs of rent, groceries, and fuel—are already delaying technology purchases until prices come down in the US, the CTA reported. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2026 High diesel prices are placing financial strains on the nation's transportation, construction and agricultural industries, which rely heavily on the fuel to move goods and power equipment. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 Investigators then measured the strength of their antibody responses against different strains. — Jason Mastoct. 5, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026 Flu seasons can vary widely in their timing and severity, depending in part on which strains are circulating and how much immunity people have from previous infections and how well the vaccine is matched to circulating viruses. — Lena H. Sun, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2026 The hope is that the mRNA vaccine can target emerging strains quicker, according to the CDC. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026 But Rwanda, like many countries, is facing economic strains from high inflation and ripple effects from the Iran war. — Fatma Tanis, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026 Antetokounmpo has been relatively durable throughout his entire NBA career, playing more than 60 games in each of his first 12 regular seasons before playing in a career-low low 36 games last season due in large part to multiple calf strains. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026

Verb

What’s worse is the scene that follows, revealing the clean-up of multiple bodies and an elaborate rewriting of the narrative that strains credulity to put it mildly, not to mention shortchanging the Mexican characters. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026 But strains at the top of the organization over its brand and direction reflect many premium news outlets’ dilemmas about survival and profit in a post-traffic, AI-ascendant media age. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026 But that unpaid bill becomes uncompensated care, which over time erodes operating margins and strains hospital finances. — Amber Bellazaire, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026 This assertion strains logic and factual reality to the breaking point. — Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026 Stanton hasn’t played since April 24 because of calf strains in both legs, but was included on the roster for the Wild Card round against the Boston Red Sox. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 3 Oct. 2026 Film strains sapphire For the study, the researchers examined vanadium dioxide (VO2) films, which are grown on sapphire. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026 His recent health setback strains an already frail Warriors center rotation. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2026 That distillery is well-known for producing 10 different bourbon recipes that are made from a combination of two mashbills and five yeast strains. — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 25 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for strains

Noun

But researchers were able to show that over hundreds of thousands of years, the gentoo has diverged into four distinct evolutionary lineages, each of which the researchers say should be its own species.

— Violet Jira, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2026
When the catastrophe wiped out their massive non-avian relatives, the bird lineages that survived were positioned to take advantage of newly vacant ecological niches.

— Kevin Brown, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of lineages

Noun

The story takes place around the Club Rumba Royale, where white Europeans and Congolese citizens rub shoulders, and where the captivating melodies of rumba merge with aspirations and fiery debates of independence.

— Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
Chandler primarily uses his guitars to produce radar sweeps of drone, which allows Schwendener’s bass to take full responsibility for Beat’s melodies.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of melodies

Noun

Jazz fusion keyboardist George Duke, however, plays wild splashes of melody on an electric piano in the empty spaces between Waits’s lines.

— Al Shipley, SPIN, 9 Oct. 2026
Topping up the battery takes 90 minutes, according to Shift Robotics, and an IP54 rating means the shoes shrug off splashes but would not enjoy a swim.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of splashes

Noun

Couples can reconnect on white-sand beaches during the day, the stresses of work a distant memory.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
Organizers said the session will dive into cotton cultivation, including the stresses currently facing the crop and its growers and the innovations that are making the practice smarter and more sustainable.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of stresses

Verb

Napoleon is in his head guiding him, and partway through, another voice joins that pulls him somewhere else entirely.

— Jennifer Maas, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Stoliker also points out that there’s evidence that giving someone a task mid-trip pulls them out of the state—a phenomenon researchers sometimes call grounding.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of pulls

Verb

Under the standard model, qualifying for those rewards requires potential traders to pay an upfront fee for a simulated evaluation of their trading skills—a hurdle that filters out the vast majority of applicants.

— Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026
That runoff waters the plants and filters pollutants as the soil absorbs it.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of filters

Verb

Not only does Jeong-yo have an emotional connection to his music performance that Pi-o struggles to find himself, but Pi-o has injured his pinky in the leadup to the final performance, thanks to his obsessive practicing.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
As someone who struggles with the dizzying effects of altitude, I was quickly reminded of Santa Fe’s 7,000-foot elevation.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of struggles

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straining

strains

strait

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Strains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strains. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of strains

noun (1)

noun (2)

verb

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