1. (

• strain ,
• straining ,

) an intense or violent exertion ;

2. (

• distortion ,
• overrefinement ,
• straining ,
• torture ,
• twisting

) the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean ;

1. (

• strive ,
• reach ,
• strain

) to exert much effort or energy; "straining our ears to hear" ;

2. (

• try ,
• strain ,
• stress

) test the limits of; "You are trying my patience!" ;

3. (

• strain ,
• extend

) use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity; "He really extended himself when he climbed Kilimanjaro"; "Don't strain your mind too much" ;

4. (

• sift ,
• sieve ,
• strain ,

) separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements; "sift the flour" ;

5. (

• tense ,
• strain ,
• tense_up

) cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious; "he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up" ;

6. (

• strain ,
• tense

) become stretched or tense or taut; "the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed"; "the rope strained when the weight was attached" ;

7. (

• filter ,
• filtrate ,
• strain ,
• separate_out ,
• filter_out

) remove by passing through a filter; "filter out the impurities" ;

8. (

• puree ,
• strain ,

) rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender; "puree the vegetables for the baby" ;

9. (

• deform ,
• distort ,
• strain

) alter the shape of (something) by stress; "His body was deformed by leprosy" ;

1. (

• arduous ,
• straining ,
• strenuous

) taxing to the utmost; testing powers of endurance; "his final, straining burst of speed"; "a strenuous task"; "your willingness after these six arduous days to remain here"- F.D.Roosevelt ;