strait
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Related to strait: Strait of Magellan, Bering Strait
strait
(often straits) a narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water; difficulty; distress: dire straits
Not to be confused with:
straight – having no waves or bends: a straight path to the beach; candid and direct: straight talk; unmixed: I drink my whiskey straight.
strait
(strāt)n. often straits
1. A narrow channel joining two larger bodies of water: straits that were treacherous; the Strait of Gibraltar; the Bosporus Straits.
2. A position of difficulty, perplexity, distress, or need: in desperate straits.
adj. Archaic
1.
a. Difficult; stressful.
b. Having or marked by limited funds or resources.
2.
a. Narrow or confined.
b. Fitting tightly; constricted.
3. Strict, rigid, or righteous.
[Middle English streit, narrow, a strait, from Old French estreit, tight, narrow, from Latin strictus, past participle of stringere, to draw tight; see streig- in Indo-European roots.]
strait′ly adv.
strait′ness n.
strait
(streɪt)n
1. (Physical Geography) (often plural)
a. a narrow channel of the sea linking two larger areas of sea
b. (capital as part of a name): the Strait of Gibraltar.
2. (often plural) a position of acute difficulty (often in the phrase in dire or desperate straits)
3. (Physical Geography) archaic a narrow place or passage
adj
4. (of spaces, etc) affording little room
5. (of circumstances, etc) limiting or difficult
6. severe, strict, or scrupulous
[C13: from Old French estreit narrow, from Latin strictus constricted, from stringere to bind tightly]
ˈstraitly adv
ˈstraitness n
strait
(streɪt)n.
1. Often, straits. (used with a sing. v.) a narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water.
2. Often, straits. a position of difficulty, distress, or need.
3. Archaic. a narrow passage or area.
4. isthmus.
adj. Archaic. 5. narrow.
6. confined in area.
7. strict, as in requirements or principles.
[1150–1200; Middle English streit < Old French estreit < Latin strictus, past participle of stringere to bind; compare strain1]
strait
(strāt) A narrow waterway joining two larger bodies of water. The Strait of Gibraltar, for example, connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean.
strait
A narrow strip of sea that links two larger areas of sea.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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Noun | 1. | ![]() channel - a deep and relatively narrow body of water (as in a river or a harbor or a strait linking two larger bodies) that allows the best passage for vessels; "the ship went aground in the channel" narrow - a narrow strait connecting two bodies of water |
2. | strait - a bad or difficult situation or state of affairs desperate straits, dire straits - a state of extreme distress situation - a complex or critical or unusual difficulty; "the dangerous situation developed suddenly"; "that's quite a situation"; "no human situation is simple" | |
Adj. | 1. | strait - narrow; "strait is the gate" archaicism, archaism - the use of an archaic expression narrow - not wide; "a narrow bridge"; "a narrow line across the page" |
strait
noun
plural noun
1. difficulty, crisis, mess, pass, hole (slang), emergency, distress, dilemma, embarrassment, plight, hardship, uphill (S. African), predicament, extremity, perplexity, panic stations (informal), pretty or fine kettle of fish (informal) If we had a child, we'd be in really dire straits.
Translations
صُعوبَه، حاجَه، عُسْر ماليمَضيق
průlivtíseňúžina
strædesundvanskelighed
tengerszoros
kröggursund
tramdomieji marškiniai
finansiālas grūtībasgrūtībasjūras šaurums
strait
[ˈstreɪt] n (GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY) → détroit m
straits npl
to be in dire straits → être aux abois, être dans une situation désespérée
to be in desperate financial straits → être financièrement aux abois
to be in dire straits → être aux abois, être dans une situation désespérée
to be in desperate financial straits → être financièrement aux abois
strait
n
straits pl (fig) → Nöte pl, → Schwierigkeiten pl; to be in dire or desperate straits → in großen Nöten sein, in einer ernsten Notlage sein
strait
:straitjacket
n (lit, fig) → Zwangsjacke f
strait-laced
adj → prüde, puritanisch, spießig (inf)
strait
[streɪt] n (Geog) → strettothe Straits of Dover → lo stretto di Dover
to be in dire straits (fig) → essere nei guai
strait
(streit) noun1. (often in plural) a narrow strip of sea between two pieces of land. the straits of Gibraltar; the Bering Strait.
2. (in plural) difficulty; (financial) need.
ˈstrait-jacket noun a type of jacket with long sleeves tied behind to hold back the arms of eg a violent and insane person.
ˌstrait-ˈlaced adjective strict and severe in attitude and behaviour.