Online OXFORD Collocation Dictionary

strain noun

¹ severe demand on strength, resources, etc.

ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, heavy, real, severe, terrible, tremendous It's a real strain having to get up so early! | slight | increasing | constant | excessive, intolerable, unbearable, undue | emotional, financial, mental, nervous, physical, psychological The mental strain of sharing an office with Alison was starting to tell. | breaking a fishing line with a 15lb breaking strain

VERB + STRAIN be/come under, feel, suffer (from) Television newsreaders come under enormous strain. After weeks of overtime, she was starting to feel the strain. | cause, create, impose, place, put Increasing demand is placing undue strain on services. | ease, reduce | cope with, stand, take | increase

STRAIN + VERB show, take its toll (on sb), tell (on sb) After six weeks of uncertainty, the strain was beginning to take its toll.

PREP. under the ~ The ice gave way under the strain. He broke under the strain of having to work twelve hours a day. | ~ on There's too much strain on the corner of the table.

PHRASES a bit of a strain I found it a bit of a strain making conversation with her. | signs of strain After three years, their marriage was beginning to show signs of strain. | stresses and strains the stresses and strains of a long day | take the strain off sb/out of sth The new scheme is designed to take the strain out of shopping.

² injury

ADJ. bad | slight | back, eye, muscle, thigh, etc.

VERB + STRAIN have, be suffering from | get You'll get eye strain if you don't put the light on. | recover from, shake off Gerrard will play if he can shake off a slight thigh strain.

strain verb

¹ make a great effort to do sth

ADV. hard straining hard to understand | forward I strained forward to get a better view.

VERB + STRAIN have to

PREP. against The dogs were straining against the sledge. | at Several men were straining at a rope, trying to move the stalled vehicle. | for Their ears strained for any slight sound.

PHRASES strain to hear/see sth We had to strain to hear what was being said.

² put a lot of pressure on sth

ADV. seriously, severely The dispute severely strained relations between the two countries.