strait (streɪt
)
Definitions
noun
- (often plural)
- a narrow channel of the sea linking two larger areas of sea
- ((capital as part of a name) ⇒
the Strait of Gibraltar
- (often plural) a position of acute difficulty (often in the phrase in dire a position of acute difficulty (often in the phrase or desperate straits)
- archaic a narrow place or passage
adjective
archaic- (of spaces, etc) affording little room
- (of circumstances, etc) limiting or difficult
- severe, strict, or scrupulous
Alternative Forms
ˈstraitly adverb ˈstraitness nounWord Origin
C13: from Old French estreit narrow, from Latin strictus constricted, from stringere to bind tightlySynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
difficulty,
crisis,
mess,
pass,
hole,
emergency,
distress,
dilemma,
embarrassment,
plight,
hardship,
uphill,
predicament,
extremity,
perplexity,
panic stations,
pretty or fine kettle of fish
Usage examples
If the flow of oil through the strait is stopped, then prospects for many nations in the West are dire indeed.
, Left, Right and Centre (1986)Nor does he wear a strait jacket under his pin-striped shirt.
India Today (1996)When crossing the strait , Magellan was struck by the campfires of the indigenous people and named the area Tierra del Fuego.
Courier, Sunday Mail (2004)The pair travelled halfway across the 56-mile strait ," put a toe" across the border to clinch the record, then turned back.
Sun, News of the World (2002)Eventually, having become warped and stunted, psychology struggled free of that self-imposed strait jacket.
, Visions of the Future - an investigation of premonitions (1989)