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

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

She has a strand or two in mind and is looking forward to settling down soon and focusing.

From Los Angeles Times

The Beechcraft was sent to Catalina to retrieve a flight instructor and two student pilots who were stranded on the island the afternoon of Oct.

From Los Angeles Times

Many attendees wore their sorority or fraternity colors — a celebration of a storied strand of Black culture in America.

From Los Angeles Times

Migrants stranded for years on the remote Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia will be offered the right to come to the UK, under a government proposal.

From BBC

Related Words

• fiber
• filament
• rope
• string