strength noun PREP. below/under ~ Injuries meant that the Dutch team was below strength for the final. | with ~ She pushed him away with unexpected strength.
PHRASES at full strength The orchestra was at full strength for the Mahler symphony. | be/get back to full strength I'm still not quite back to full strength after my illness. | every ounce of strength She summon | a feat of strength He used to entertain people with his feats of strength. | a pillar/tower of strength He was a tower of strength to his sisters when their father died. | a position of strength They are negotiating from a position of strength. | reserves of strength When she had twins, she discovered reserves of strength that she didn't know she had. | a show of strength 50,000 troops massed on the border in the biggest show of strength to date. | a source of strength Her childhood memories were a great source of strength when her mother was killed. | strength born of desperation/fear/panic, etc. With strength born of pure panic, she threw her attacker to the ground. | strength of character/purpose/will, strength of feeling, the strength of your position, a test/trial of strength Today's vote is being seen as a test of strength for the government. The dispute developed into a trial of strength between management and the union. | with all your strength She threw the rope with all her strength.
2 useful quality
ADJ. great | real
VERB + STRENGTH exploit, play to The team may not have the best players, but it plays to its strengths.
STRENGTH + VERB lie in sth Her great strength lies in her flexibility.
PHRASES strengths and weaknesses
1 how strong sb/sth is
ADJ. enormous, great, immense | high The material has exceptionally high strength for its weight. | greater, superior His superior physical strength won him the title. | growing | continuing the continuing strength of the pound | relative | surprising, unexpected | superhuman, supernatural | brute He got the door open with brute strength. | extra They are reinforced with steel for extra strength. | collective | emotional, inner | muscle, muscular, physical | economic, electoral, financial, industrial, military | numerical the relative numerical strengths of men and women in the group | police, union, etc. | bargaining | wind | alcoholic
VERB + STRENGTH have He had just enough strength to reach for the phone. | find, summon up I'm trying to summon up the strength to do some more work. | build up, gain, gather You need to try and build up your strength before the winter. The opinion that the president should stand down has gained considerable strength. | gain in, grow in, increase in | vary in These wines vary in strength between 11° and 15°. | lose | get back, recover, regain | give sb/sth, lend sb/sth Her love and support gave me strength. The metal reinforcement gives it the strength to resist the high winds. | sap The series of steep hills sapped the cyclists' strength. | conserve, save | draw (on), use She was able to draw on her immense inner strength. | put He put all his strength into reorganizing the department. | take It took all his strength to open the box. | test The Moroccan athlete ran a fast lap to test the strength of the other runners. | increase | reduce, undermine Her unwillingness to answer questions undermined the strength of her position.
STRENGTH + VERB grow, increase | decline, ebb (away), fail, falter, wane The country's economic strength is declining. Her strength was ebbing fast, so her children were called to her bedside.
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