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strain noun /streɪn/ /streɪn/ Idioms jump to other results pressure [uncountable, countable] pressure on a system or relationship because great demands are being placed on it- The transport service cannot cope with the strain of so many additional passengers.
- under strain Their marriage is under great strain at the moment.
- strain on something These repayments are putting a strain on our finances.
- There are strains in the relationship between the two countries.
Synonyms pressurepressureThese are all words for the feelings of worry caused by the problems in somebody’s life.- pressure difficulties and feelings of worry that are caused by the need to achieve something or to behave in a particular way:
- She was unable to attend because of the pressures of work.
- stress pressure or worry caused by the problems in somebody’s life:
pressure or stress?It is common to say that somebody is suffering from stress, while pressure may be the thing that causes stress.- tension a feeling of worry and stress that makes it impossible to relax:
- strain pressure on somebody/something because they have too much to do or manage; the problems or worry that this produces:
- I found it a strain looking after four children.
Patterns- to be under pressure/stress/strain
- considerable pressure/stress/tension/strain
- to cause stress/tension/strain
- to cope with the pressure/stress/tension/strain
- to relieve/release the pressure/stress/tension/strain
- to be suffering from stress/tension
Extra Examples- After three years, their marriage was beginning to show signs of strain.
- Increasing demand is placing undue strain on services.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- considerable
- enormous
- great
- …
verb + strainstrain + verb- show
- take its toll (on somebody)
- tell (on somebody)
- …
preposition- under the strain
- strain on
phrases- a bit of a strain
- signs of strain
- stresses and strains
- …
See full entry [countable, uncountable] mental pressure or worry felt by somebody because they have too much to do or manage; something that causes this pressure- You will learn to cope with the stresses and strains of public life.
- I found it a strain having to concentrate for so long.
- Relax, and let us take the strain (= do things for you).
- under strain Television newsreaders come under enormous strain.
Extra Examples- After weeks of overtime, she was starting to feel the strain.
- After weeks of uncertainty, the strain was beginning to take its toll.
- He broke down under the strain of having to work twelve hours a day.
- I found it a bit of a strain making conversation with her.
- It's a real strain having to get up so early!
- The internet takes the strain out of shopping.
- The mental strain of sharing an office with Alison was starting to show.
- the stresses and strains of a long day
- I found it a strain looking after four children.
[uncountable, countable] the pressure that is put on something when a physical force stretches, pushes, or pulls it- under the strain The rope broke under the strain.
- strain on something You should try not to place too much strain on muscles and joints.
- The ground here cannot take the strain of a large building.
- The cable has a 140kg breaking strain (= it will break when it is stretched or pulled by a force greater than this).
Extra Examples- There's too much strain on the corner of the table.
- a fishing line with a 15lb breaking strain
- The ice gave way under the strain.
Topics Physics and chemistryc1Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- considerable
- enormous
- great
- …
verb + strainstrain + verb- show
- take its toll (on somebody)
- tell (on somebody)
- …
preposition- under the strain
- strain on
phrases- a bit of a strain
- signs of strain
- stresses and strains
- …
See full entry injury [countable, uncountable] an injury to a part of your body, such as a muscle, that is caused by using it too much or by twisting it- a calf/groin/leg strain
- muscle strain
Extra Examples- Sterling will play if he can shake off a slight thigh strain.
- You'll get eye strain if you don't put the light on.
Topics Illnessc1Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjectiveverb + strain- be suffering from
- have
- get
- …
See full entry type of plant/animal/disease- [countable] a particular type of plant or animal, or of a disease caused by bacteria, etc.
- a new strain of mosquitoes resistant to the poison
- This is only one of the many strains of the disease.
- H5N1 is a strain of avian influenza.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjectiveverb + strain- discover
- identify
- analyse/analyze
- …
prepositionSee full entry in somebody’s character- [countable, usually singular] a particular feature of the character of a person or group, or a quality in their manner synonym streak
- He had a definite strain of snobbery in him.
of music- [countable, usually plural] (formal) the sound of music being played or sung
- She could hear the strains of Mozart through the window.
- He heard the familiar strains of a tango coming from the club.
Topics Musicc2 Word Originnoun senses 1 to 3 and noun sense 6 Middle English (as a verb): from Old French estreindre, from Latin stringere ‘draw tight’. Current senses of the noun arose in the mid 16th cent. noun senses 4 to 5 Old English strīon ‘acquisition, gain’, of Germanic origin; related to Latin struere ‘to build up’. Idioms - if a system or service creaks under the strain, it cannot deal effectively with all the things it is expected to do or provide
strain verb /streɪn/ /streɪn/ Idioms jump to other results injure- [transitive] strain something/yourself to injure yourself or part of your body by making it work too hard
- to strain a muscle
- You’ll strain your back carrying those heavy suitcases.
Synonyms injureinjure- wound
- hurt
- bruise
- sprain
- pull
- strain
These words all mean to harm yourself or somebody else physically, especially in an accident.- injure to harm yourself or somebody else physically, especially in an accident:
- He injured his knee playing hockey.
- Three people were injured in the crash.
- wound [often passive] (rather formal) to injure part of the body, especially by making a hole in the skin using a weapon:
- 50 people were seriously wounded in the attack.
Wound is often used to talk about people being hurt in war or in other attacks that affect a lot of people. - hurt to cause physical pain to somebody/yourself; to injure somebody/yourself:
injure or hurt?You can hurt or injure a part of the body in an accident. Hurt emphasizes the physical pain caused; injure emphasizes that the part of the body has been damaged in some way.- bruise to make a blue, brown or purple mark (= a bruise) appear on the skin after somebody has fallen or been hit; to develop a bruise
- sprain to injure part of your body, especially your ankle, wrist or knee, by suddenly twisting it, causing pain and swelling
- pull to damage a muscle, etc, by using too much force
- strain to injure yourself or part of your body by making it work too hard:
- Don’t strain your eyes by reading in poor light.
Patterns- to injure/hurt/strain yourself
- to injure/hurt/sprain/pull/strain a muscle
- to injure/hurt/sprain your ankle/foot/knee/wrist/hand
- to injure/hurt/strain your back/shoulder/eyes
- to injure/hurt your spine/neck
- to be badly/severely/slightly injured/wounded/hurt/bruised/sprained
Collocations InjuriesInjuriesBeing injured- have a fall/an injury
- receive/suffer/sustain a serious injury/a hairline fracture/(especially British English) whiplash/a gunshot wound
- hurt/injure your ankle/back/leg
- damage the brain/an ankle ligament/your liver/the optic nerve/the skin
- pull/strain/tear a hamstring/ligament/muscle/tendon
- sprain/twist your ankle/wrist
- break a bone/your collarbone/your leg/three ribs
- fracture/crack your skull
- break/chip/knock out/lose a tooth
- burst/perforate your eardrum
- dislocate your finger/hip/jaw/shoulder
- bruise/cut/graze your arm/knee/shoulder
- burn/scald yourself/your tongue
- bang/bump/hit/ (informal) bash your elbow/head/knee (on/against something)
Treating injuries- treat somebody for burns/a head injury/a stab wound
- examine/clean/dress/bandage/treat a bullet wound
- repair a damaged/torn ligament/tendon/cartilage
- amputate/cut off an arm/a finger/a foot/a leg/a limb
- put on/ (formal) apply/take off (especially North American English) a Band-Aid™/(British English) a plaster/a bandage
- need/require/put in/ (especially British English) have (out)/ (North American English) get (out) stitches
- put on/rub on/ (formal) apply cream/ointment/lotion
- have/receive/undergo (British English) physiotherapy/(North American English) physical therapy
Extra Examples- Are you sure you can carry all that? Don't strain yourself.
- Don't strain your eyes by reading in poor light.
- You'll strain your back carrying those heavy suitcases.
make effort- [transitive, intransitive] to make an effort to do something, using all your mental or physical strength
- strain something to do something I strained my ears (= listened very hard) to catch what they were saying.
- strain something Necks were strained for a glimpse of the stranger.
- strain to do something People were straining to see what was going on.
- strain (something) (for something) He burst to the surface, straining for air.
- Bend gently to the left without straining.
Extra Examples- I strained forward to get a better view.
- Their ears strained for any slight sound.
- We had to strain to hear what was being said.
- You could see he was straining hard to understand.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverbverb + strainprepositionphrases- strain to hear something
- strain to see something
See full entry stretch to limit- [transitive] strain something to try to make something do more than it is able to do
- The sudden influx of visitors is straining hotels in the town to the limit.
- His constant complaints were straining our patience.
- The dispute has strained relations between the two countries (= made them difficult).
- Her latest version of events strained their credulity still further.
Extra Examples- Our public health laboratories are strained to (the) breaking point.
- The company is already straining under the weight of a $12 billion debt.
- The dispute severely strained relations between the two countries.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverbphrases- strain something to breaking point
- strain something to the breaking point
- strain something to its limits
- …
See full entry push/pull hard- [intransitive] + adv./prep. to push hard against something; to pull hard on something
- She strained against the ropes that held her.
- The dogs were straining at the leash, eager to get to the park.
Extra Examples- Several men were straining at a rope, trying to move the stalled vehicle.
- The dogs were straining against the sled.
separate solid from liquid- [transitive] to pour food, etc. through something with very small holes in it, for example a sieve, in order to separate the solid part from the liquid part
- strain something Use a colander to strain the vegetables.
- Strain the juice from the cherries into a small saucepan.
- strain something off Strain off any excess liquid.
Topics Cooking and eatingc2 Word Originverb Middle English (as a verb): from Old French estreindre, from Latin stringere ‘draw tight’. Current senses of the noun arose in the mid 16th cent. Idioms - (informal) to want to do something very much
- Like all youngsters, he's straining at the leash to leave home.
strain every nerve/sinew (to do something) - to try as hard as you can to do something
- He strained every nerve to snatch victory from defeat.
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