stray 1378
without a home (in the phrase waifs and strays) 3 infml
someone or something which has got separated from others
of the same kind
stray³ adj [A] 1 wandering; lost: stray cats 2 separated from
others; met by chance: He was hit by a stray bullet. | You may
find a few stray examples of it, but it's not very common. | a
few stray clouds/hairs
streak¹ /stri:k/ n 1 [(of)] a thin line or band, different from
what surrounds it: Streaks of grey began to appear in her
black hair. | a streak of lightning 2 [(of)] a quality of some-
one's character which is different from their other or usual
qualities, usually in a bad way: She's got a mean/stubborn
streak. 3 a limited period during which one has repeated
experiences of the same kind, especially success or failure:
I'd hit a/I was on a winning/losing streak and kept
winning/losing a lot of money betting on horses. | a gambler's
lucky streak 4 like a streak of lightning infml very quickly:
He disappeared round the corner like a streak of lightning.
streak² v 1 [+adv/prep] to move very fast: The cat streaked
across the road with the dog behind it. 2 [T] to cover with
streaks: His face was streaked with dirt/tears. 3 [I] to run in a
public place as a streaker
streak·er /'stri:kə/ n a person who runs across a public
place with no clothes on as a way of attracting attention
streak·y /'stri:ki/ adj marked with streaks: The dye hadn't
worked well, and had left her hair rather streaky. | Streaky
bacon (BrE) has lines of fat among the meat.
stream¹ /stri:m/ n 1 a natural flow of water moving across
country between banks, narrower than a river: a mountain
stream 2 [(of)] something flowing or moving forwards con-
tinuously: A steady stream of visitors came to the house. | a
stream of traffic | (fig.) a stream of abuse -> see also BLOOD-
STREAM, MAINSTREAM 3 [C usually sing.] (the direction of) a
current of water: We were just floating along with the stream. |
(fig.) He hasn't the courage to go against the stream (of public
opinion). -> see also DOWNSTREAM, UPSTREAM 4 especially BrE
(in schools) a level of ability within a group of pupils of the
same age: She's in the top stream/the A stream. 5 on stream
tech in(to) production: The supply of oil from the North Sea
has now come on stream.
stream² v 1 [+adv/prep] to flow fast and strongly; pour out:
The pipe broke and water streamed onto the floor. -> compare
TRICKLE 2 [+adv/prep] to move in a continuous flowing mass:
The crowd streamed out of the football ground. 3 [+adv/prep]
to be blown so as to stretch out at full length: The wind
caught her scarf/hair, and it streamed out behind her.
4 [(with)] to give out a continuous flow: Her eyes were
streaming with tears. | I've got a streaming cold. (=with
liquid flowing from the nose) 5 [T] BrE || track AmE to group
(schoolchildren) in STREAMS
stream·er /'stri:mə/ n 1 a long narrow piece of coloured
paper, used especially for decoration at parties 2 a long
narrow flag
stream·ing /'stri:mɪŋ/ n [U] the practice of playing sound or
video on your computer while it is being broadcast over the
Internet, rather than DOWNLOADING it and saving it into a
FILE so that you can listen to it or watch it later
stream·line /'stri:mlaɪn/ v [T] 1 to form into a smooth
shape which moves easily through water or air: a stream-
lined racing car 2 to make (a business, organization etc)
more simple and therefore more effective in working: How
can we streamline our production processes?
,stream of 'consciousness n [(the)U] (especially in litera-
ture) (the expression of) thoughts and feelings exactly as
they pass through the mind, rather than giving them the
ordered structure usual in books etc
Streep, Mer·yl /stri:p, 'merɪl/ (1949–) a US film actress,
known for her ability to play many different types of
character. Her films include Out of Africa (1985), and The
Hours (2002). She won two Oscars, for Kramer vs Kramer
(1979) and Sophie's Choice (1982).
street /stri:t/ n 1 written abbrev St BrE || St. AmE a road with
houses or other town buildings on one or both sides: 101
Oxford Street, London | a street map of Brighton (=showing
the names and positions of all the roads) | street musicians
(=performing out of doors in towns) -> see also HIGH
STREET 2 be on/walk the streets a) to be homeless b)
euph to be a PROSTITUTE 3 not in the same street (as) infml
not of the same good standard (as) 4 streets ahead (of) infml
much better (than) 5 up/down one's street/alley in one's
area of interest or activity: You ought to tell John about that
new book – it'll be right up his street. -> see also BACK
STREET, EAST STREET, SIDE STREET, man in the street (MAN)
USAGE 1 A street is in the middle of a town, and usually
has shops and other buildings. A road can be in the town
or the country, and usually leads to another town, or to
another part of a town. 2 British speakers often say in a
street/road where American speakers say on a
street/road: the shops in the High Street (BrE)| the
stores on Main Street (AmE)| a house in Bristol Road
(BrE)| a house on Boston Road (AmE) -> see also WAY
(USAGE)
street·car /'stri:tkɑ:r/ n AmE for TRAM
,Streetcar ,Named De'sire, A (1947) a play by Tennessee
WILLIAMS, made into a film with Marlon BRANDO and Vivien
LEIGH in 1951, about a beautiful woman who is becoming
old and her violent younger BROTHER-IN-LAW
,street-credi'bility also street-cred /'stri:t kred/ infml –
n [U] popular acceptance and approval among young people:
Sooty was declared non-sexist today – he's now a bear with
street-cred and a New Man approach. – –ble adj
'Street ,Fighter trademark a popular type of VIDEO GAME and
COMPUTER GAME in which two characters are chosen to fight
each other
,Street-'Porter, Jan·et /'dʒænɪt/ (1946–) a British JOURNAL-
IST and television PRODUCER known for making television
programmes for young people. She is also known for having
a strong London ACCENT, and for having large teeth and
GLASSES.
'street ,value n [C;U] the price for which something, espe-
cially an illegal drug, can be sold informally in the street, in a
PUB etc, rather than in a shop: This heroin has a street value
of £500.
street·walk·er /'stri:t,wɔ:kə/ n old-fash a PROSTITUTE who
stands or walks about in the street to attract customers
street·wise /'stri:twaɪz/ adj infml clever and knowledgeable
enough to manage in the hard, sometimes dangerous, world
of the city streets: She is too young and not streetwise enough
to live in London on her own.
Strei·sand, Bar·bra /'straɪsænd, 'ba:bərəl'ba:r-/ (1942–) a
US popular singer who is also a successful film actress. Her
films include the MUSICALS (=films that use singing and
dancing to tell a story) Funny Girl (1968), for which she won
an Oscar, and Hello Dolly (1969).
strength /streŋθ, strenθ/ n 1 [C;U] the quality or degree of
being strong or powerful: He does weight-training to build up
his (physical) strength. | She succeeded by strength of will
alone. | Our financial independence enables us to argue from a
position of strength. | The enemy withdrew after we made a
show of strength. | Her strength as a novelist lies in her
perceptiveness and compassion. | the current strength of the
dollar | You can get this drug in various strengths. 2 [(of)]
something providing force or power: The great strength of
my plan is that it's so cheap compared to the others. | the
strengths and weaknesses of her argument 3 [U] force, espe-
cially measured in numbers: His supporters came in strength
(=many came) to see the fight. | The police force is 400 men
below strength (=less than the number of members it
should have) but next year it should be at full
strength. 4 from strength to strength with continuing
and growing success: Our new company is going from
strength to strength. 5 on the strength BrE infml being a
member of an organization, company, armed force etc: 'Are
you on the strength here?' 'No, I'm just helping out for a
week.' 6 on the strength of because of; persuaded or influ-
enced by: I bought it on the strength of his advice. -> com-
pare WEAKNESS
strength·en /'streŋθən, 'strenθən/ v [I;T] to become or
make strong or stronger: They strengthened the wall with
metal supports. | The wind strengthened during the night. | If
we could find some eyewitnesses it would greatly strengthen
your case. | The dollar has strengthened against other curren-
cies. (=increased in value) | Their opposition only strengthened
her resolve.