The Meaning of strain

• (n.) Race; stock; generation; descent; family.
• (n.) Hereditary character, quality, or disposition.
• (n.) Rank; a sort.
• (a.) To draw with force; to extend with great effort; to stretch; as, to strain a rope; to strain the shrouds of a ship; to strain the cords of a musical instrument.
• (a.) To act upon, in any way, so as to cause change of form or volume, as forces on a beam to bend it.
• (a.) To exert to the utmost; to ply vigorously.
• (a.) To stretch beyond its proper limit; to do violence to, in the matter of intent or meaning; as, to strain the law in order to convict an accused person.
• (a.) To injure by drawing, stretching, or the exertion of force; as, the gale strained the timbers of the ship.
• (a.) To injure in the muscles or joints by causing to make too strong an effort; to harm by overexertion; to sprain; as, to strain a horse by overloading; to strain the wrist; to strain a muscle.
• (a.) To squeeze; to press closely.
• (a.) To make uneasy or unnatural; to produce with apparent effort; to force; to constrain.
• (a.) To urge with importunity; to press; as, to strain a petition or invitation.
• (a.) To press, or cause to pass, through a strainer, as through a screen, a cloth, or some porous substance; to purify, or separate from extraneous or solid matter, by filtration; to filter; as, to strain milk through cloth.
• (v. i.) To make violent efforts.
• (v. i.) To percolate; to be filtered; as, water straining through a sandy soil.
• (n.) The act of straining, or the state of being strained.
• (n.) A violent effort; an excessive and hurtful exertion or tension, as of the muscles; as, he lifted the weight with a strain; the strain upon a ship's rigging in a gale; also, the hurt or injury resulting; a sprain.
• (n.) A change of form or dimensions of a solid or liquid mass, produced by a stress.
• (n.) A portion of music divided off by a double bar; a complete musical period or sentence; a movement, or any rounded subdivision of a movement.
• (n.) Any sustained note or movement; a song; a distinct portion of an ode or other poem; also, the pervading note, or burden, of a song, poem, oration, book, etc.; theme; motive; manner; style; also, a course of action or conduct; as, he spoke in a noble strain; there was a strain of woe in his story; a strain of trickery appears in his career.
• (n.) Turn; tendency; inborn disposition. Cf. 1st Strain.

Synonyms

stress , tune , melody , air , melodic line , line , melodic phrase , mental strain , nervous strain , breed , stock , form , variant , var. , tenor , striving , nisus , pains , straining , song , strive , reach , try , stress , extend , sift , sieve , tense , tense up , tense , filter , filtrate , separate out , filter out , puree , deform , distort

Antonyms

relax , unstrain

Rhymes

abstain , again , ahlen , aine , airplane , alain , alaine , alane , alayne , allain , ane , aquitaine , arcane , arraign , ascertain , attain , aven , ayn , bahrain , bain , baine , bane , bayne , beauchaine , beauchene , biplane , birdbrain , biscayne , blain , blaine , blane , blayne , bloodstain , brain , brattain , brisbane , butane , cain , caine , campaign , cane , cayne , cellophane , chain , champagne , champaign , champlain , charlayne , charlemagne , chastain , cheyne , chlordane , cocaine , complain , constrain , contain , costain , crain , craine , crane , crayne , dahrain , dane , dayne , decrane , defrain , deign , delaine , demain , deschaine , detain , devane , dewayne , disdain , dogbane , domain , domaine , drain , draine , drane , duan , duane , duchaine , dufrane , duquesne , dushane , duwayne , dwayne , elaine , elane , elayne , entertain , ethane , explain , eyestrain , fain , fane , feign , fein , floodplain , fontaine , forebrain , frain , fraine , frane , frayn , frayne , frein , gain , galane , germain , germaine , germane , grain , grein , hahne , hain , hane , hayn , hayne , helane , henbane , heyn , heyne , hossain , humane , hurricane , hussein , iain , inane , inhumane , insane , jain , jane , jayne , jermaine , jyishane , kahane , kain , kaine , kane , kayne , krain , krane , krein , lafountain , lain , laine , lane , laraine , legerdemain , lehane , lennane , lindane , ln , lorain , loraine , lorraine , maclaine , main , maine , maintain , mane , mayne , mcbain , mcbane , mccain , mccane , mcclain , mcclaine , mcclane , mcguane , mckain , mckane , mclain , mclane , mclean , mcquain , mcwain , membrane , messiaen , methane , meyn , migraine , monoplane , morain , moraine , mundane , mustain , obtain , okane , ordain , overtrain , paign , pain , paine , pane , payne , pentane , pertain , plain , plane , polyurethane , preordain , procaine , profane , propane , quain , rain , raine , rayne , refrain , regain , reign , rein , reine , remain , restrain , retain , retrain , romain , romaine , ruane , sain , sane , sartain , seatrain , serbaine , shain , shaine , shane , shayne , skein , slain , slaine , slane , spain , sprain , stain , stane , sustain , swain , swaine , swayne , terrain , thain , thaine , thane , tirane , torain , train , trane , tremaine , tulane , twain , ukraine , uptain , urbain , urbane , urethane , vain , vane , vein , veyne , vrain , wain , wane , warplane , wayne , windowpane , zane