strain
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++strain1 /streɪn/ ●●○ W3 noun 1 worry 焦虑 [countable, uncountable]WORRIED worry that is caused by having to deal with a problem or work too hard over a long period of time 焦虑；紧张 → stress I couldn’t look after him anymore; the strain was too much for me. 我不能再照看他了，压力太大。 Did you find the job a strain? 你觉得这份工作紧张吗？ the stresses and strains of police life 警察生活的紧张和压力strain for The trial has been a terrible strain for both of us. 法庭审判令我们两人都非常焦虑。strain on It’s quite a strain on me when he’s drinking heavily. 他喝很多酒时，我就十分担心。put/place a strain on somebody The long working hours put a severe strain on employees. 长时间工作使雇员严重焦虑。under (a) strain I know you’ve been under a lot of strain lately. 我知道你最近压力很大。crack/collapse/buckle etc under the strain (=become unable to deal with a problem or work) 因压力大而崩溃 I could see that she was beginning to crack under the strain. 我能看出她开始承受不了压力了。2 difficulty 困难 [countable, uncountable]PROBLEM a difficulty or problem that is caused when a person, relationship, organization, or system has too much to do or too many problems to deal with 问题，困难；负担；紧张strain on The dry summer has further increased the strain on water resources. 干旱的夏季加剧了水资源紧张的情况。put/place (a) strain on something The flu epidemic has put a huge strain on the health service. 流感爆发给卫生部门带来巨大的压力。strain in The attack has led to strains in the relationship between the two countries. 袭击事件导致两国关系紧张。under (a) strain His marriage was under strain. 他的婚姻关系很紧张。break/crack/collapse etc under the strain 因压力大而崩溃 The party split under the strain. 在重压之下，这个政党分裂了。3 force 力,力量 [uncountable]HPPUSHPULL a situation in which something is being pulled or pushed, or is holding weight, and so might break or become damaged 拉力；张力；推力strain on The strain on the cables supporting the bridge is enormous. 这些支撑桥梁的钢缆所承受的拉力很大。put/place (a) strain on something Some of these exercises put too much strain on the back muscles. 这些健身动作中有些令背部肌肉负担过重。 These four posts take the strain of the whole structure. 这四根柱子承受着整个结构的压力。break/snap/collapse etc under the strain The rope snapped under the strain. 绳子被拉断了。4 injury 损伤 [countable, uncountable]MIINJURE an injury to a muscle or part of your body that is caused by using it too much 〔肌肉或人体部位的〕拉伤；扭伤；劳损 Long hours working at a computer can cause eye strain. 长时间用电脑工作会引起眼睛疲劳。 The goalkeeper is still out of action with a knee strain. 守门员由于膝伤仍无法参加比赛。► see thesaurus at injury5 plant/animal 植物/动物 [countable]HBTYPE a type of animal, plant, or disease 系，品系，品种，类型6 quality 品质 [singular]CHARACTER/PERSONALITY a particular quality which people have, especially one that is passed from parents to children 〔尤指遗传的〕性格倾向，气质，性情7 way of saying STH 说话的方式 [singular] formalMEANING an amount of a feeling that you can see in the way someone speaks, writes, paints etc 表达方式；口吻，语气；笔调8 strains of something literarySOUND the sound of music being played 音乐的曲调[旋律]n COLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2adjectivesgreat/considerable/severe strainThe country’s health system is under great strain.a terrible strainIt’s been a terrible strain.an intolerable strain (=too great to bear)The cost of these wars put an intolerable strain on the economy.undue strain (=too much strain)How much can you invest without putting any undue strain on your finances?emotional strainShe has been suffering from considerable emotional strain.financial strainThis welfare program has eased the financial strain of raising children alone.verbsput/place (a) strain on somebody/somethingLiving with my parents put quite a strain on our marriage.crack/collapse/buckle etc under the strain (=become unable to continue normally because of the strain)They are worried that the court system might collapse under the strain.ease the strain (=make it less)You can do much to ease the strain of the situation for her.phrasesbe under (a) strainClaudia could see that he was under considerable strain.stresses and strainsHolidays help people to cope with the stresses and strains of life.
Examples from the Corpus
strain• The rope is capable of bearing a strain of three tons.• The company wanted 110% commitment, and that put a strain on our marriage.• Some had been finding work a strain and early retirement came as a relief.• a back strain• A pure-bred strain of barley is required in the production of this whisky.• Both of the positive control strains adhered strongly to HEp-2 cells.• The legal fight has been an enormous strain on my wife.• As she describes the irritating eye strain, Estrada laughs self consciously.• eye strain• Argyle player-manager Shilton ruled himself out of the hiding-to-nothing trip with a groin strain.• A particularly hardy strain of the virus can make you ill for over a week.• Such efforts put heavy strains on the financial and human resources of the organization.• They also needed to determine the genetic sequence of the virus so that they could compare it with known herpes strains.• She had a busy week, and she's under a lot of strain at the moment.• Asthma / bronchitis claims jump 75 %; sprains / strains are 34. 6 % higher.• He had trouble handling the strain of raising eight kids.• He could see the strain in her face as she told him what she was going through.• The strain of managing such a huge company became too much for Anita.• The strain was beginning to show in their friendship.• He is putting his body under unbelievable strain, which is fine when he is 26.find ... strain• Others have found similar strains only in repeated samples from the same individual.• Even Lancaster found his patience strained when Douglas told him how to play his part.• She did not find Flora any strain either.• She found she was straining her ears for the musical clang of the town church bells.put/place (a) strain on something• The waiting also puts a strain on parents.• Lack of stock control Goods which can not be quickly used or sold but put strains on cash flow.• One neck exercise could damage the top of the spine while straight leg sit-ups could put strain on the back.• And the demand for vaccine has started to put a strain on supplies.• The problem is the vigorous shaking of the trunk puts a strain on the roots.• So I was there until Sean was seventeen months, which put a strain on all of us, I think.• Occupational therapists also can modify items to make it possible to use them without placing a strain on arthritic joints.put/place (a) strain on something• The waiting also puts a strain on parents.• Lack of stock control Goods which can not be quickly used or sold but put strains on cash flow.• One neck exercise could damage the top of the spine while straight leg sit-ups could put strain on the back.• And the demand for vaccine has started to put a strain on supplies.• The problem is the vigorous shaking of the trunk puts a strain on the roots.• So I was there until Sean was seventeen months, which put a strain on all of us, I think.• Occupational therapists also can modify items to make it possible to use them without placing a strain on arthritic joints.strain of• a deadly strain of influenza• There is a strong strain of nationalism in the country.• Through the window we could hear the strains of Mozart.strain2 ●●○ verb 1 injure 损伤 [transitive]MIINJURE to injure a muscle or part of your body by using it too much or making it work too hard 拉伤，扭伤，损伤2 effort 努力 [intransitive, transitive]TRY TO DO OR GET something to try very hard to do something using all your strength or ability 使劲，竭力，用尽全力3 liquid 液体 [transitive]DFC to separate solid things from a liquid by pouring the mixture through something with very small holes in it 滤，过滤 → sieve4 difficulty 困难 [transitive]FORCE somebody TO DO something to cause difficulties for something by making too much work or too many problems which it cannot deal with easily 使过劳；使不堪承受5 pull/push 拉/推 [intransitive]PUSHPULL to pull hard at something or push hard against something 使劲拉[推]，绷紧6 strain every nerve TRY TO DO OR GET somethingto try as hard as possible to do something 全力以赴7 be straining at the leash ENTHUSIASTICto be eager to be allowed to do something 急欲获准做某事，跃跃欲试8 not strain yourself to not work too hard or do too much physical activity – often used in an ironic way 使自己不要过度劳累〔常用于讽刺〕→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
strain• Sometimes he strained his head up towards the ceiling and his mouth moved as if he were trying to shout orders.• James strained his right knee playing football.• Righthander Robert Person was scheduled to start, but a strained left hamstring sustained over the weekend could delay his spring debut.• She carries a small but distinct belly, which is straining the red material of the skirt.• Strain the sauce through a sieve.• Repairs to the roof have severely strained the school's budget.• His frightened eyes widened, straining to live.strain your ears/eyes• He stood tensed, straining his ears.• She spoke softly, directing her remarks exclusively at Karelius and Moreau, so that the others were obliged to strain their ears.• She strained her ears but could hear nothing.• Don't strain your eyes by putting up with poor lighting.• We crowded round the table, straining our ears for the magic sounds, while Robert adjusted the cat's whisker.• She strained her eyes, searching, but today she could not persuade herself that there were any seals out there.• As we talked, we stopped once in a while and strained our ears to hear.• I strained my eyes to see their faces, my ears to catch their whispered voices.strain against• Spectators strained against the barriers to get a closer look.Origin strain1 1. (1500-1600) → STRAIN22. Old English streon “gain” strain2 (1300-1400) Old French estraindre, from Latin stringere; → STRINGENTstrain1 noun →n COLLOCATIONS1strain2 verbLDOCE OnlineChinese
deal Corpus having worry by that to is caused
strain
strain1 W3 /streɪn/ 
noun
Origin: streon 'gain'1. WORRY [uncountable and countable] worry that is caused by having to deal with a problem or work too hard over a long period of time ⇨ stress:
I couldn’t look after him any more; the strain was too much for me.
Did you find the job a strain?
the stresses and strains of police life
strain for
The trial has been a terrible strain for both of us.
strain on
It’s quite a strain on me when he’s drinking heavily.
put/place a strain on somebody
The long working hours put a severe strain on employees.
under (a) strain
I know you’ve been under a lot of strain lately.
crack/collapse/buckle etc under the strain (=become unable to deal with a problem or work)
I could see that she was beginning to crack under the strain.
2. DIFFICULTY [uncountable and countable] a difficulty or problem that is caused when a person, relationship, organization, or system has too much to do or too many problems to deal with
strain on
The dry summer has further increased the strain on water resources.
put/place (a) strain on something
The flu epidemic has put a huge strain on the health service.
strain in
The attack has led to strains in the relationship between the two countries.
under (a) strain
His marriage was under strain.
break/crack/collapse etc under the strain
The party split under the strain.
3. FORCE [uncountable] a situation in which something is being pulled or pushed, or is holding weight, and so might break or become damaged
strain on
The strain on the cables supporting the bridge is enormous.
put/place (a) strain on something
Some of these exercises put too much strain on the back muscles.
These four posts take the strain of the whole structure.
break/snap/collapse etc under the strain
The rope snapped under the strain.
4. INJURY [uncountable and countable] an injury to a muscle or part of your body that is caused by using it too much:
Long hours working at a computer can cause eye strain.
The goalkeeper is still out of action with a knee strain.
5. PLANT/ANIMAL [countable] a type of animal, plant, or disease
strain of
different strains of wheat
a new strain of the flu virus
6. QUALITY [singular] a particular quality which people have, especially one that is passed from parents to children
strain of
There’s a strain of madness in his family.
7. WAY OF SAYING SOMETHING [singular] formal an amount of a feeling that you can see in the way someone speaks, writes, paints etc:
a strain of bitterness in Young’s later work
8. strains of something literary the sound of music being played:
We sipped wine to the strains of Beethoven.
■ adjectives
▪great/considerable/severe strain The country’s health system is under great strain.
▪a terrible strain It’s been a terrible strain.
▪an intolerable strain (=too great to bear) The cost of these wars put an intolerable strain on the economy.
▪undue strain (=too much strain) How much can you invest without putting any undue strain on your finances?
▪emotional strain She has been suffering from considerable emotional strain.
▪financial strain This welfare program has eased the financial strain of raising children alone.
■ verbs
▪put/place (a) strain on somebody/something Living with my parents put quite a strain on our marriage.
▪crack/collapse/buckle etc under the strain (=become unable to continue normally because of the strain) They are worried that the court system might collapse under the strain.
▪ease the strain (=make it less) You can do much to ease the strain of the situation for her.
■ phrases
▪be under (a) strain Claudia could see that he was under considerable strain.
▪stresses and strains Holidays help people to cope with the stresses and strains of life.
▪ injury damage to part of your body caused by an accident or an attack: The passengers were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
▪wound an injury, especially a deep cut in your skin made by a knife, bullet, or bomb: He died of a gunshot wound to the head.
▪cut a small injury made when a sharp object cuts your skin: Blood was running from a cut on his chin.
▪bruise a dark mark on your skin that you get when you fall or get hit: Jack often comes home from playing rugby covered in bruises.
▪graze/scrape a small injury that marks your skin or breaks the surface slightly: She fell off her bike and got a few grazes on her legs and knees.
▪gash a long deep cut: He had a deep gash across his forehead.
▪bump an area of skin that is swollen because you have hit it against something: How did you get that bump on your head?
▪sprain an injury to your ankle, wrist, knee etc, caused by suddenly twisting it: It’s a slight sprain – you should rest your ankle for a week.
▪strain an injury to a muscle caused by stretching it or using it too much: a muscle strain in his neck
▪fracture a crack or broken part in a bone: a hip fracture
strain2 verb1. INJURE [transitive] to injure a muscle or part of your body by using it too much or making it work too hard:
I’ve strained a muscle in my leg
You’ll strain your eyes trying to read in this light.
2. EFFORT [intransitive and transitive] to try very hard to do something using all your strength or ability
strain (something) to do something
She was straining to keep her head above the water.
strain for
Bill choked and gasped, straining for air.
strain your ears/eyes (=try very hard to hear or see)
I strained my ears, listening for any sound in the silence of the cave.
3. LIQUID [transitive] to separate solid things from a liquid by pouring the mixture through something with very small holes in it ⇨ sieve:
She strained the pasta.
4. DIFFICULTY [transitive] to cause difficulties for something by making too much work or too many problems which it cannot deal with easily:
The increased costs will certainly strain our finances.
The incident has strained relations between the two countries.
I felt that my patience was being strained to the limit.
5. PULL/PUSH [intransitive] to pull hard at something or push hard against something
strain against
Buddy’s huge gut strained against the buttons on his shirt.
strain at
a dog straining at its lead
6. strain every nerve to try as hard as possible to do something:
He was straining every nerve to impress the judges.
7. be straining at the leash to be eager to be allowed to do something:
There are 30,000 troops in the area, all straining at the leash.
8. not strain yourself to not work too hard or do too much physical activity – often used in an ironic way:
Don’t strain yourself.
■ to injure yourself or someone else
▪hurt to damage part of your body, or someone else’s body: She slipped on the ice and hurt herself badly. | Be careful you don’t hurt anyone with that knife.
▪injure to hurt yourself quite severely, or to be hurt in an accident or fighting: One of our players has injured his leg, and will be out of the game for weeks. | Four people have been seriously injured on the Arizona highway.
▪wound to deliberately hurt someone using a weapon such as a knife or gun: The gunmen shot and killed twelve people and wounded three others.
▪maim /meɪm/ [usually passive] to hurt someone very severely, especially so that they lose an arm, leg etc, often as the result of an explosion: In countries where there are landmines, people are killed and maimed daily.
▪break to hurt a part of your body by breaking a bone in it: The X-ray showed that I had broken my wrist.
▪bruise to hurt a part of your body when you fall on it or hit it, causing a dark mark to appear on your skin: Cathy fell off her bike and bruised her legs badly.
▪sprain/twist to hurt your knee, wrist, shoulder etc by suddenly twisting it while you are moving: I jumped down from the wall and landed awkwardly, spraining my ankle.
▪strain/pull to hurt one of your muscles by stretching it or using it too much: When you are lifting heavy loads, be careful not to strain a back muscle.
▪dislocate to damage a joint in your body in a way that moves the two parts of the joint out of their normal position: Our best batsman dislocated his shoulder during training.
▪paralyse [usually passive] to make someone lose the ability to move part or all of their body: A climbing accident had left him paralysed from the chest down.
| I |
noun Sense 5-8
Language: Old EnglishOrigin: streon 'gain'
strain for
strain on
put/place a strain on somebody
under (a) strain
crack/collapse/buckle etc under the strain (=become unable to deal with a problem or work)
2. DIFFICULTY [uncountable and countable] a difficulty or problem that is caused when a person, relationship, organization, or system has too much to do or too many problems to deal with
strain on
put/place (a) strain on something
strain in
under (a) strain
break/crack/collapse etc under the strain
3. FORCE [uncountable] a situation in which something is being pulled or pushed, or is holding weight, and so might break or become damaged
strain on
put/place (a) strain on something
break/snap/collapse etc under the strain
4. INJURY [uncountable and countable] an injury to a muscle or part of your body that is caused by using it too much:
5. PLANT/ANIMAL [countable] a type of animal, plant, or disease
strain of
6. QUALITY [singular] a particular quality which people have, especially one that is passed from parents to children
strain of
7. WAY OF SAYING SOMETHING [singular] formal an amount of a feeling that you can see in the way someone speaks, writes, paints etc:
8. strains of something literary the sound of music being played:
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verb1. INJURE [transitive] to injure a muscle or part of your body by using it too much or making it work too hard: 2. EFFORT [intransitive and transitive] to try very hard to do something using all your strength or ability
strain (something) to do something
strain for
strain your ears/eyes (=try very hard to hear or see)
3. LIQUID [transitive] to separate solid things from a liquid by pouring the mixture through something with very small holes in it ⇨ sieve:
4. DIFFICULTY [transitive] to cause difficulties for something by making too much work or too many problems which it cannot deal with easily:
5. PULL/PUSH [intransitive] to pull hard at something or push hard against something
strain against
strain at
6. strain every nerve to try as hard as possible to do something:
7. be straining at the leash to be eager to be allowed to do something:
8. not strain yourself to not work too hard or do too much physical activity – often used in an ironic way:
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pressure difficulties and feelings of anxiety that are caused by the need to achieve sth or to behave in a particular way 指为达到某一目标或有某种行为表现而产生的心理压力、紧张 ：◆ She was unable to attend because of the pressures of work. 由于工作紧张，她不能出席。 stress pressure or anxiety caused by the problems in sb's life 指因生活问题引起的精神压力、心理负担、紧张 ：◆ stress-related illnesses 与精神压力有关的疾病
pressure or stress? 用 pressure 还是 stress？
tension a feeling of anxiety and stress that makes it impossible to relax 指情绪上的紧张、烦躁 ：◆ nervous tension 神经紧张 strain pressure on sb/sth because they have too much to do or manage; the problems, worry or anxiety that this produces 指压力、重负、重压之下出现的问题、担忧 ：◆ I found it a strain looking after four children. 我觉得照料四个孩子挺累的。
Patterns
to be under pressure/stress/strainconsiderable pressure/stress/tension/strainto cause stress/tension/strainto cope with the pressure/stress/tension/strainto relieve/release the pressure/stress/tension/strainto be suffering from stress/tension
injure to harm yourself or sb else physically, especially in an accident 尤指在事故中伤害、使受伤 ：◆ He injured his knee playing hockey. 他打曲棍球时膝盖受了伤。 ◆ Three people were injured in the crash. 撞车事故中有三人受伤。 wound [ ( to injure part of the body, especially by making a hole in the skin using a weaponrather
指使身体受伤，尤指用武器伤害 ：◆ 50 people were seriously wounded in the attack. 这次攻击中有 50 人受重伤。 NOTE Wound is often used to talk about people being hurt in war or in other attacks which affect a lot of people.* wound 常指在战争中或在波及许多人的其他攻击中受伤。 hurt to cause physical pain to sb/yourself; to injure sb/yourself 指（使）疼痛、受伤 ：◆ Did you hurt yourself? 你伤着自己了吗？
injure or hurt? 用 injure 还是 hurt？
bruise to make a blue, brown or purple mark (= appear on the skin after sb has fallen or been hit; to develop a bruisea bruise )指摔伤、撞伤、（使）出现瘀伤 sprain to injure part of your body, especially your ankle, wrist or knee, by suddenly bending it in an awkward way, causing pain and swelling 指扭伤（踝、腕、膝） pull to damage a muscle, etc., by using too much force 指拉伤、扭伤（肌肉等） strain to injure yourself or part of your body by making it work too hard 指损伤、拉伤、扭伤 ：◆ Don't strain your eyes by reading in poor light. 别在光线不足的地方看书把眼睛给伤了。
Patterns
to injure/hurt/strain yourself to injure/hurt/sprain/pull/strain a muscle to injure/hurt/sprain your ankle/foot/knee/wrist/hand to injure/hurt/strain your back/shoulder/eyes to injure/hurt your spine/neck to be badly/severely/slightly injured/wounded/hurt/bruised/sprained
Being injured 受伤
have a fall/an injury跌了一跤；受伤 receive/suffer/sustain a serious injury/a hairline fracture/( whiplash/a gunshot woundespecially
BrE 受重伤／轻微骨裂／鞭伤／枪伤 hurt/injure your ankle/back/leg伤到脚踝／背／大腿 damage the brain/an ankle ligament/your liver/the optic nerve/the skin损伤大脑／脚踝韧带／肝脏／视神经／皮肤 pull/strain/tear a hamstring/ligament/muscle/tendon拉伤腘绳肌腱／韧带／肌肉／肌腱 sprain/twist your ankle/wrist扭伤脚踝／手腕 break a bone/your collarbone/your leg/three ribs骨折；锁骨／大腿／三根肋骨骨折 fracture/crack your skull头盖骨破裂 break/chip/knock out/lose a tooth碰断了一颗牙；使牙齿崩缺了一块；磕掉／掉了一颗牙 burst/perforate your eardrum使耳膜破裂；鼓膜穿孔 dislocate your finger/hip/jaw/shoulder使手指／臀部／下巴／肩膀脱臼 bruise/cut/graze your arm/knee/shoulder擦伤／割破／擦破手臂／膝盖／肩膀 burn/scald yourself/your tongue烧伤／烫伤自己／舌头 bang/bump/hit/ ( bash your elbow/head/knee (on/against sth)（在某物上）撞到肘部／头／膝盖
Treating injuries 治疗伤病
treat sb for burns/a head injury/a stab wound给某人治疗烧伤／头部伤／刺伤 examine/clean/dress/bandage/treat a bullet wound检查／清洗／包扎／用绷带包扎／治疗枪伤 repair a damaged/torn ligament/tendon/cartilage修复损伤的／拉伤的韧带／肌腱／软骨 amputate/cut off an arm/a finger/a foot/a leg/a limb截去一只胳膊／一根手指／一只脚／一条腿；截肢 put on/ ( apply/take off ( a Band-Aid™/especially
NAmE ( a plaster/a bandageBrE 贴上／使用／撕掉创可贴；缠上／使用／解掉绷带 need/require/put in/ ( especially
BrE have (out)/ ( NAmE get (out) stitches需要缝针；缝针；拆线 put on/rub on/ ( apply cream/ointment/lotion涂抹护肤霜／药膏／护肤液 have/receive/undergo ( physiotherapy/BrE ( physical therapyNAmE 接受物理疗法
