strand

¹

[ strand ]

verb (used with object)

1. to drive or leave (a ship, fish, etc.) aground or ashore:

   The receding tide stranded the whale.

2. (usually used in the passive) to bring into or leave in a helpless position:

   He was stranded in the middle of nowhere.

verb (used without object)

1. to be driven or left ashore; run aground.
2. to be halted or struck by a difficult situation:

   He stranded in the middle of his speech.

noun

1. the land bordering the sea, a lake, or a river; shore; beach.

strand

²

[ strand ]

noun

1. one of a number of fibers, threads, or yarns that are plaited or twisted together to form a rope, cord, or the like.
2. a similar part of a wire rope.
3. a rope made of such twisted or plaited fibers.
4. a fiber or filament, as in animal or plant tissue:

   a single strand of messenger RNA.

5. a thread or threadlike part of anything:

   the strands of a plot.

6. a tress of hair.
7. a string of pearls, beads, etc.

verb (used with object)

1. to form (a rope, cable, etc.) by twisting strands together.
2. to break one or more strands of (a rope).

Strand

³

[ strand ]

noun

1. Mark, 1934–2014, U.S. poet, born in Canada: U.S. poet laureate 1990–91.
2. Paul, 1890–1976, U.S. photographer and documentary-film producer.
3. the, a street parallel to the Thames, in W central London, England: famous for hotels and theaters.

strand

¹

/ strænd /

verb

1. to leave or drive (ships, fish, etc) aground or ashore or (of ships, fish, etc) to be left or driven ashore
2. tr; usually passive to leave helpless, as without transport or money, etc

noun

1. a shore or beach
2. a foreign country

Strand

²

/ strænd /

noun

1. the Strand
   a street in W central London, parallel to the Thames: famous for its hotels and theatres

strand

³

/ strænd /

noun

1. a set of or one of the individual fibres or threads of string, wire, etc, that form a rope, cable, etc
2. a single length of string, hair, wool, wire, etc
3. a string of pearls or beads
4. a constituent element in a complex whole

   one strand of her argument

verb

1. tr to form (a rope, cable, etc) by winding strands together

Other Words From

• strand·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of strand¹

First before 1000; Middle English noun strond(e), strand(e), Old English strand; cognate with Dutch strand, German Strand, Old Norse strǫnd; akin to strew

Origin of strand²

First recorded in 1490–1500; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of strand¹

Old English; related to Old Norse strönd side, Middle High German strant beach, Latin sternere to spread

Origin of strand²

C15: of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Knowing where the mRNA begins formation on the DNA strand is a significant part of understanding how genes are expressed.

From Science Daily

“Every time Chad loses his shirt, have a sip of wine, beer or eat a cookie,” he laughs over Zoom, as one hand brushes his golden strands behind his ear.

From Los Angeles Times

British Airways passengers are stranded on the tarmac in multiple airports in the UK and internationally after a "technical issue" disrupted operations.

From BBC

Players were stranded on the bus with little food other than eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

From Los Angeles Times

The idea of "liberal peace" - that peace, democracy, justice and open markets all go together - had long been a powerful strand in US global strategy.

From BBC

Related Words

• fiber
• filament
• rope
• string