Noun
1. (physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
2. 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.Samuelson3. a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence;
"she was humming an air from Beethoven"4. (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"5. 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"6. (biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups;
"a new strain of microorganisms"7. a lineage or race of people
8. injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse); results in swelling and pain
9. pervading note of an utterance;
"I could follow the general tenor of his argument"10. an effortful attempt to attain a goal
11. an intense or violent exertion
12. the act of singing;
"with a shout and a song they marched up to the gates"Verb
1. to exert much effort or energy;
"straining our ears to hear"2. test the limits of;
"You are trying my patience!"3. 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"4. separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements;
"sift the flour"5. make tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious;
6. stretch or force to the limit;
"strain the rope"7. remove by passing through a filter;
"filter out the impurities"8. rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender;
"puree the vegetables for the baby"9. alter the shape of (something) by stress;
"His body was deformed by leprosy"