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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Relevance

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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Those fiscal strains come as political volatility and social unrest raise doubts about the government’s ability to deliver measures aimed at stabilizing the public finances. — Jenni Reid,chloe Taylor, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 The first focuses on improving protein yields by optimizing gene sequences, introducing them into Spiber’s proprietary microbial strains and evaluating their performance. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026 Antetokounmpo played in a career-low low 36 games with the Bucks last season due in large part to multiple calf strains. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026 The latest changes arrive in the heat of a midterm election cycle that has underscored the strains on American democracy. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 The mutation, at a location called G155E, cropped up after strains were already selected for this year’s flu shots, Greninger said. — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026 For millions of parents of young children, child care is one of the largest strains on the family budget. — Moriah Balingit, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 Reduced access to such resources is especially dangerous with strains like Bundibugyo – in the absence of an effective vaccine, tracing the spread of disease and isolating potential disease contacts is especially important. — Ananya Rupanagunta, Vox, 21 Oct. 2026 Jill’s frenetic comings and goings that week attested to the long-running strains on her personally, dealing with the Bidens’ troubled family life while Joe did his job being president. — Azadeh Moaveni, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026

Verb

Iron Boy follows a young boy growing up in rural France who strains against the rigid restrictions of his home life, and the metal corset he is forced to wear 24/7 to correct his spinal conditions. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026 The house strains against the steel straps and anchors holding it down. — Daniel Wolfe, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026 Because mRNA vaccines can be developed and manufactured more quickly than traditional shots, scientists could wait until later in the year before selecting which influenza strains to target. — Claire Maldarelli, Scientific American, 16 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for strains

Noun

Some ancestral lineages diverged roughly 21,000 years ago, according to the review.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
While some of these families traced their lineages back to the colonial aristocrats of Mexico or New England, the Mesmers, like Griffith, were recent European immigrants, having come to the United States from Alsace, France.

— Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of lineages

Noun

High, Lonesome and Then Some, released in October 2025, had been a sonic experiment in slow, mellow country melodies.

— Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2026
Soundtracks often work in a similar way—music that’s been composed with the idea of accompaniment, melodies that are meant to join with a story already can work perfectly when one is in the midst of creating a character or scene.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of melodies

Noun

The apron is built to take a beating—oils and rogue splashes barely register, practically rolling right off the surface.

— Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of splashes

Noun

Prior Justice Department inspectors general have long complained about the limitations to their authority to investigate certain types of attorney misconduct.

— Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Ninety-four percent of Americans recognize that repairing and upgrading transportation infrastructure helps these types of vehicles move people and goods more quickly and safely.

— Kevin Blackwell, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of types

Noun

But modern day stresses are replaced with real life stresses for the tribe, like finding water, staying warm, and protecting the herd—the family’s currency—from jackals and wild dogs.

— Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Oct. 2026
That’s a point De Los Angeles’ doctor at Sylvester stresses, too.

— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of stresses

Verb

Just before noon, Green drives through the intersection of Magnolia and Beaty streets, then suddenly pulls to the side of the road.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2026
Its forward motion carries it around Earth while gravity pulls it toward the planet.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of pulls

Verb

As the name implies, Glass Half Full filters its work through a hopeful lens.

— Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
These compounds quickly destroy the stratospheric ozone, the gas that filters out harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of filters

Verb

As energy supply struggles to keep pace with demand, those delays have drawn political attention and, finally, action, including significant legislation passed at the state level and a new bipartisan permitting reform bill proposed in the Senate.

— Dr. Sarah Kapnick, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Toxic haze has covered parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for weeks as Jakarta struggles to contain fires that have scorched large tracts of Borneo and Sumatra, with the smoke drifting across the region.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 20 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 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of strains

noun (1)

noun (2)

verb

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