straw

[ straw ]

noun

1. a single stalk or stem, especially of certain species of grain, chiefly wheat, rye, oats, and barley.
2. a mass of such stalks, especially after drying and threshing, used as fodder.
3. material, fibers, etc., made from such stalks, as used for making hats or baskets.
4. the negligible value of one such stalk; trifle; least bit:

   not to care a straw.

5. a tube, usually of paper or glass, for sucking up a beverage from a container:

   to sip lemonade through a straw.

6. anything of possible but dubious help in a desperate circumstance.
7. straw man ( def 2 ).
8. a straw hat.

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, containing, or made of straw:

   a straw hat.

2. of the color of straw; pale yellow.
3. of little value or consequence; worthless.
4. sham; fictitious.

straw

¹

/ strɔː /

noun

1. 1. stalks of threshed grain, esp of wheat, rye, oats, or barley, used in plaiting hats, baskets, etc, or as fodder
   2. ( as modifier )

      a straw hat

2. a single dry or ripened stalk, esp of a grass
3. a long thin hollow paper or plastic tube or stem of a plant, used for sucking up liquids into the mouth
4. usually used with a negative anything of little value or importance

   I wouldn't give a straw for our chances

5. a measure or remedy that one turns to in desperation (esp in the phrases clutch or grasp at a straw or straws )
6. 1. a pale yellow colour
   2. ( as adjective )

      straw hair

7. straw in the wind
   a hint or indication
8. the last straw
   a small incident, setback, etc that, coming after others, proves intolerable

adjective

1. having little value or substance

Straw

²

/ strɔː /

noun

1. StrawJack1946MBritishPOLITICS: politicianPOLITICS: statesman Jack, full name John Whitaker Straw. born 1946, British Labour politician; Home Secretary (1997–2001); Foreign Secretary (2001–06); Lord Chancellor (2007–10)

straw

³

/ strɔː /

verb

1. archaic.
   another word for strew

Derived Forms

• ˈstrawˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• strawless adjective
• strawlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of straw¹

before 950; Middle English; Old English strēaw; cognate with German Stroh; akin to strew

Word History and Origins

Origin of straw¹

Old English streaw; related to Old Norse strā, Old Frisian strē, Old High German strō; see strew

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. catch / clutch / grasp at a straw / straws / any straw(s), to seize at any chance, no matter how slight, of saving oneself from calamity.
2. draw straws, to decide by lottery using straws or strawlike items of different lengths, usually with the short straw or straws determining the person chosen or the loser.

More idioms and phrases containing straw

• draw straws
• grasp at straws
• last straw
• make bricks without straw
• not worth a dime (straw)

Example Sentences

While that incident appears to have been the final straw for MSF in Port-au-Prince, at least for the time being, it was not the only recent example of extreme aggression against their staff.

From BBC

“It’s amazing what you can do with a straw,” says Jonathan Bailey via email.

From Los Angeles Times

“It is the straw that has broken the camel’s back,” is how one farming source put it to me.

From BBC

In the fall, farmers in India often clear their land by burning straw covering their fields, creating a huge amount of pollution.

From NewsForKids.net

"Sometimes in the past when we lost, they were clear losses and we were clutching at straws. I don't feel we are clutching at straws now. We lost, but we're close."

From BBC