strain

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strain Definition

(n) (physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
(n) difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension; "she endured the stresses and strains of life"; "he presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger"- R.J.Samuelson
(n) a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence; "she was humming an air from Beethoven"
(n) (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"
(n) a special variety of domesticated animals within a species; "he experimented on a particular breed of white rats"; "he created a new strain of sheep"
(n) (biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups; "a new strain of microorganisms"
(n) a lineage or race of people
(n) injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse); results in swelling and pain
(n) pervading note of an utterance; "I could follow the general tenor of his argument"
(n) an effortful attempt to attain a goal
(n) an intense or violent exertion
(n) the act of singing; "with a shout and a song they marched up to the gates"
(v) to exert much effort or energy; "straining our ears to hear"
(v) test the limits of; "You are trying my patience!"
(v) use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity; "He really extended himself when he climbed Kilimanjaro"; "Don''t strain your mind too much"
(v) separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements; "sift the flour"
(v) make tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious;
(v) stretch or force to the limit; "strain the rope"
(v) remove by passing through a filter; "filter out the impurities"
(v) rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender; "puree the vegetables for the baby"
(v) alter the shape of (something) by stress; "His body was deformed by leprosy"

strain Synonyms