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;
a lineage or race of people;
pervading note of an utterance; "I could follow the general tenor of his argument";
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence; "she was humming an air from Beethoven";
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";
(biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups; "a new strain of microorganisms";
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces;
injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse); results in swelling and pain;
(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";
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;
make tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious;;
alter the shape of (something) by stress; "His body was deformed by leprosy";
to exert much effort or energy; "straining our ears to hear";
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";
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";
separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements; "sift the flour";
stretch or force to the limit; "strain the rope";
test the limits of; "You are trying my patience!";
