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# strain

«strain» in Mova's school dictionary: **to try very hard or push your body or mind to its limit** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (strain, strains, strained, straining); noun (a strain, strains; strain)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To strain is to try very hard or push your body or mind to its limit. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#m1)

2) To strain a muscle is to hurt it by stretching or using it too much. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#m2)

3) To strain food or liquid is to pour it through a sieve to separate the solid bits. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#m3)

4) Strain is worry or pressure that makes someone tired or tense. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#m4)

5) A strain is a type of a plant, animal or germ, like a strain of flu. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#m5)

6) A strain is a tune or melody of music. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#m6)

### sense in the lessons

In PE and health, warming up helps stop muscle strains. In cooking and science, straining separates a solid from a liquid, like pasta from water; this is filtering. In stories, characters «strain to hear» faint sounds. In science, a force puts strain on a bridge or rope. Phrases: «strain your eyes», «under strain», «strain to hear».

### examples

- He strained to lift the heavy box. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#x1)
- I strained a muscle in my leg playing football. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#x2)
- Strain the pasta in a colander. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#x3)
- Don't strain your eyes reading in the dark. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#x4)
- We strained to hear the whisper. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#x5)
- Mum is under a lot of strain at work. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#x6)
- This is a new strain of flu. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#x7)
- The rope began to strain under the weight. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#x8)
- A glorious strain of music sounded--now distant, now near. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/#x9)

### note

Past form: strained. Both countable (a strain, a strain of flu) and uncountable (stress and strain). A strain (muscle hurt by stretching) is milder than a sprain (twisted joint) or a break, but see an adult if it hurts a lot. In science, straining through a sieve is a way to separate mixtures.

### In the corpora

- [Warm-ups such as lip trills and humming help the breath and the voice muscles work without strain.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/arts/8-singing-choirs-and-talent-shows/7/)
- [Singing with a sore throat can strain the voice and make it worse; singers rest, drink water and avoid shouting.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/arts/8-singing-choirs-and-talent-shows/14/)
- [A warm-up makes muscles warmer and readier to work, so they are less likely to be strained.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/6-skating-and-sports-safety/9/)
- [Bending your head far forward over a phone strains the muscles of your neck.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/8-posture-and-screens/8/)
- [Lifting something too heavy can strain muscles, especially in the back.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/390-showing-off/27/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «strain» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/strain/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.