streak

[ streek ]

noun

1. a long, narrow mark, smear, band of color, or the like:

   streaks of mud.

2. a portion or layer of something, distinguished by color or nature from the rest; a vein or stratum:

   streaks of fat in meat.

3. a vein, strain, or admixture of anything:

   a streak of humor.

   Synonyms: trace, element, touch, cast

4. Informal.
   1. a spell or run:

      a streak of good luck.

   2. an uninterrupted series:

      The team had a losing streak of ten games.

5. a flash leaving a visible line or aftereffect, as of lightning; bolt.
6. Mineralogy. the line of powder obtained by scratching a mineral or rubbing it upon a hard, rough white surface, often differing in color from the mineral in the mass, and serving as an important distinguishing character.
7. Plant Pathology.
   1. an elongated, narrow, superficial lesion on stems or leaf veins, becoming brown and necrotic.
   2. any disease characterized by such lesions.

verb (used with object)

1. to mark with a streak or streaks; form streaks on:

   sunlight streaking the water with gold; frost streaking the windows.

2. to lighten or color (strands of hair) for contrastive effect.
3. to dispose, arrange, smear, spread, etc., in the form of a streak or streaks:

   to streak cold germs on a slide for microscopic study.

verb (used without object)

1. to become streaked.
2. to run, go, or work rapidly.
3. to flash, as lightning.
4. to make a sudden dash in public while naked, especially as a prank.

streak

¹

/ striːk /

noun

1. a variant spelling of strake

streak

²

/ striːk /

noun

1. a long thin mark, stripe, or trace of some contrasting colour
2. 1. (of lightning) a sudden flash
   2. ( as modifier )

      streak lightning

3. an element or trace, as of some quality or characteristic
4. a strip, vein, or layer

   fatty streaks

5. a short stretch or run, esp of good or bad luck
6. mineralogy the powdery mark made by a mineral when rubbed on a hard or rough surface: its colour is an important distinguishing characteristic
7. bacteriol the inoculation of a solid culture medium by drawing a wire contaminated with the microorganisms across it
8. informal.
   an act or the practice of running naked through a public place

verb

1. tr to mark or daub with a streak or streaks
2. intr to form streaks or become streaked
3. intr to move rapidly in a straight line
4. informal.
   intr to run naked through a crowd of people in a public place in order to shock or amuse them

streak

/ strēk /

1. The characteristic color of a mineral after it has been ground into a powder. Because the streak of a mineral is not always the same as its natural color, it is a useful tool in mineral identification.
2. A bacterial culture inoculated by drawing a bacteria-laden needle across the surface of a solid culture medium.
3. Also called streak plate
4. Any of various viral diseases of plants characterized by the appearance of discolored stripes on the leaves or stems.

Derived Forms

• streaked, adjective
• ˈstreaker, noun
• ˈstreakˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• streaked·ly [streekt, -lee, stree, -kid-lee], adverb
• streakedness noun
• streaker noun
• streaklike adjective
• inter·streak verb (used with object)
• un·streaked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of streak¹

First recorded before 1000; (for the noun) Middle English streke, akin to strike, Old English strica “stroke, line, mark”; cognate with German Strich, Gothic striks “stroke”; akin to Latin strigil strigil; (for the verb) late Middle English streken “to cross out,” derivative of the noun; strike, stroke ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of streak¹

Old English strica, related to Old Frisian strike, Old High German strih, Norwegian, Swedish strika

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. blue streak. blue streak.

More idioms and phrases containing streak

see like greased lightning (a blue streak) ; talk someone's arm off (a blue streak) ; winning streak .

Example Sentences

"The decisive vote in Massachusetts continues an unbroken streak for tipped employees and restaurant operators who have fought for their tipped wage."

From Salon

“I know our football team’s on a winning streak, but I can always go grab some guys when they’re done.”

From Los Angeles Times

The Rams, coming off an overtime victory over the Seattle Seahawks, aim to increase their winning streak to four games.

From Los Angeles Times

The Kansas City Chiefs somehow kept their unbeaten streak going in the most dramatic fashion on a Sunday of frantic finishes in the NFL.

From BBC

The Chargers held a ninth consecutive opponent under 20 points, moving into a tie for the NFL’s second-longest streak of games with 20 or fewer points allowed to begin a season.

From Los Angeles Times