📒 pressure on a system or relationship because great demands are being placed on it
- The transport service cannot cope with the strain of so many additional passengers.
- under strain Their marriage is under great strain at the moment.
- strain on something These repayments are putting a strain on our finances.
📒 mental pressure or worry felt by somebody because they have too much to do or manage; something that causes this pressure
- You will learn to cope with the stresses and strains of public life.
- I found it a strain having to concentrate for so long.
- Relax, and let us take the strain (= do things for you).
📒 the pressure that is put on something when a physical force stretches, pushes, or pulls it
- under the strain The rope broke under the strain.
- strain on something You should try not to place too much strain on muscles and joints.
- The ground here cannot take the strain of a large building.
📒 an injury to a part of your body, such as a muscle, that is caused by using it too much or by twisting it
- a calf/groin/leg strain
- muscle strain
- Sterling will play if he can shake off a slight thigh strain.
📒 a particular type of plant or animal, or of a disease caused by bacteria, etc.
- a new strain of mosquitoes resistant to the poison
- This is only one of the many strains of the disease.
- H5N1 is a strain of avian influenza.
📒 a particular feature of the character of a person or group, or a quality in their manner
- He had a definite strain of snobbery in him.
📒 the sound of music being played or sung
- She could hear the strains of Mozart through the window.
- He heard the familiar strains of a tango coming from the club.
📒 if a system or service creaks under the strain, it cannot deal effectively with all the things it is expected to do or provide