strain

Noun

• the act of singing
  • with a shout and a song they marched up to the gates
    

• an intense or violent exertion

• an effortful attempt to attain a goal

• the general meaning or substance of an utterance
  • although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument
    

• injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse); results in swelling and pain

• (biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups
  • a new strain of microorganisms
    

• 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
    

• (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
    

• a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
  • she was humming an air from Beethoven
    

• 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
    

• (physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces

Verb

• alter the shape of (something) by stress
  • His body was deformed by leprosy
    

• rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender
  • puree the vegetables for the baby
    

• remove by passing through a filter
  • filter out the impurities
    

• become stretched or tense or taut
  • the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed
    
  • the rope strained when the weight was attached
    

• cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
  • he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up
    

• separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements
  • sift the flour
    

• 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
    

• test the limits of
  • You are trying my patience!
    

• to exert much effort or energy
  • straining our ears to hear
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  song , straining , striving , nisus , pains , tenor , form , variant , var. , breed , stock , mental strain , nervous strain , tune , melody , air , melodic line , line , melodic phrase , stress , deform , distort , puree , filter , filtrate , separate out , filter out , tense , tense up , sift , sieve , extend , try ,
• Antonyms: 
  relax , unstrain , unlax , loosen up , unwind , make relaxed