1379
stride
stren·u·ous /'strɛnjuəs/ adj 1 taking or needing great effort
or strength: a strenuous climb | strenuous exercise | He made
strenuous attempts to stop her. 2 very active: a strenuous
supporter/opponent of women's rights —ly adv: She strenu-
ously denied their allegations. —ness n [U]
strep throat /ˌstrɛp 'θrəʊt/ n [C;U] AmE infml an infected,
very painful throat condition caused by streptococcus
strep·to·coc·cus /ˌstrɛptə'kɒkəs||ˈkɑː-/ n pl. -ci /kaɪ/ a
bacterium growing in chains that causes various infections,
especially in the throat (strep throat) —cal adj
strep·to·my·cin /ˌstrɛptə'maɪsɪn, -tə-/ n [U] a strong
drug used in medicine for killing harmful bacteria
stress¹ /strɛs/ n 1 [C;U] (a state of worry resulting from)
pressure caused by the problems of living, too much work
etc: the stresses and strains of a busy business executive's
life | stress-related diseases such as heart disease | He's under
a lot of stress because his wife is very ill. | I think her
headaches are caused by stress. 2 [C;U(on)] force of weight
caused by pressure: The vehicles passing over put stress on the
old bridge. | This instrument measures the stresses in an
aircraft's wing. 3 [U(on)] a sense of special importance;
EMPHASIS: The teacher laid particular stress on the need for
accuracy. 4 [C;U(on)] the degree of force put on a part of a
word when it is spoken, or a note in music, making it seem
stronger than other parts or notes: In 'under', the main stress
is on 'un'. → compare INTONATION; see also PRIMARY STRESS,
SECONDARY STRESS
stress² v [T] 1 to give particular importance to; mention
strongly; EMPHASIZE: He stressed the need for careful spending
if they were not to find themselves without enough
money. 2 to give force to (a word or part of a word) when
speaking: The word 'machine' is stressed on its second syllable.
stressed 'out adj infml suffering greatly from STRESS: He's
really stressed out because he has so many financial problems.
stress·ful /'strɛsfʊl/ adj full of problems that cause great
worry: a stressful week
stress management n [U] any system of recognizing,
controlling, and reducing one's reactions to the stresses of
everyday life, especially those connected with the business
world. Such a system usually includes various methods of
relaxation.
stress mark n a mark (' or ˌ) showing that STRESS comes on
a certain part of a word
stretch¹ /strɛtʃ/ v 1 [I;T] to (cause to) become wider or
longer: I tried stretching the shoes, but still my feet wouldn't fit
into them. | The sleeves of my jersey have stretched so much
that they cover my hands. 2 [T(OUT)] to cause to reach full
length or width: He stretched out his arm to try and reach the
apple. | She stretched the rope between two poles. | The painter
stretched the canvas on a frame. | (fig.) I'm not stretched enough
(=made to use all my abilities) by my work. | (fig.) You're
stretching my patience to the limit. 3 [I+adv/prep] to spread out
in space or time: The forest stretched for miles. | The desert
stretched away into the distance/as far as the eye could see. |
The project should have been finished last year, but now it
looks as though it will stretch (on) into next year. | (fig.) I'm
afraid our financial resources don't stretch to (=we can't
afford) a second car. 4 [I not in progressive forms] to be elastic:
Don't worry if this sweater seems small, the material
stretches. 5 [I(OUT)] to straighten the limbs or body to full
length: She got out of bed and stretched. | The cat stretched
out in front of the fire. 6 [T] infml to cause to go beyond
natural or proper limits: Just this once I'll stretch the rules
and let you leave work early. | The work's going to be a little
late, but fortunately they're prepared to stretch the deadline. | I
think to call her beautiful is stretching it a bit, don't you?
(=claiming too much, because she is not very beautiful) | His
story of his part in the rescue stretched their credulity. (=they
could hardly believe it) 7 stretch a point to allow a rule to be
broken in a small way, a usual practice to be slightly
changed etc: We'll stretch a point and let the baby travel free,
though you should have bought him a ticket. 8 stretch one's
legs infml to have a walk, especially after sitting for a time
—able adj
stretch² n 1 [C usually sing.] an act of stretching, especially of
the body: I got out of bed and had a good stretch. 2 [U] the
(degree of) ability to increase in length or width; elasticity:
For tracksuits you need material with plenty of stretch. |
stretch fabrics | stretch socks 3 [C(of)] a level area or SECTION
of land or water: They built their holiday home on a very
pleasant stretch of coastline. | You get a lot of accidents on this
stretch of road. 4 [C usually sing.] (a part of a racetrack
considered as) a particular stage of a race: The runners are
now coming into the final/finishing/home stretch. 5 [C(of)]
a continuous period of time: She did a stretch of ten years'
service abroad. | They had to remain standing for hours at a
stretch. (=without stopping) 6 [C usually sing.] slang a period of
time in prison: a five-year stretch for robbery 7 at full
stretch using or having to use all one's abilities: Hospital
services are at full stretch to cope with the emergency. 8 by
any stretch of the imagination (usually in negatives) even if one
tried very hard to believe it: That couldn't be true, by any
stretch of the imagination.
stretch 'coveralls n AmE for BABYGRO®
stretch·er /'strɛtʃər/ n a covered frame on which a sick or
wounded person can be carried by two people
'stretcherˌbearer n a person, especially a soldier, who
carries one end of a stretcher
'stretcherˌparty n [C+sing./pl. v] a group of stretcher-bearers,
especially on a battlefield
stretch lim·o /'strɛtʃ ˌlɪməʊ/ also 'stretch ˌlimousine
fml n a very large comfortable car (LIMOUSINE) that has been
made even longer to give passengers in the back seat lots of
room
stretch·mark /'strɛtʃmɑːrk||-mɑːk/ n [usually pl.] a line or
other mark left on a woman's stomach after she has given
birth to a child
stretch·y /'strɛtʃi/ adj (of a material) elastic; able to stretch:
stretchy cotton —iness n [U]
strew /struː/ v strewed, strewn /struːn/ or strewed [T]
especially lit 1 to scatter irregularly: [+obj+over/on] There were
papers strewn all over the floor/on the bed. | [+obj+with] (fig.)
conversation liberally strewn with (=full of) swear words 2 lit
to lie scattered over; BESTREW: Flowers strewn the path. | the
rubbish-strewn streets → see SPREAD (USAGE)
strewth /struːθ/ interj BrE old-fash slang (an expression of sur-
prise, annoyance etc)
stri·at·ed /straɪˈeɪtɪd||ˈstraɪeɪtɪd/ adj tech having narrow
lines, bands of colour etc; STRIPED
stri·a·tion /straɪˈeɪʃən/ n tech 1 [C usually pl.] a STRIPE or
line 2 [U] the condition of being marked with STRIPES or
lines
strick·en /'strɪkən/ adj rather fml (often in comb.) showing the
effect of trouble, anxiety, illness etc: Supplies of food and
medicine were rushed to the stricken city. | stricken with polio |
stricken by doubts | grief-stricken → see also PANIC-STRICKEN
strict /strɪkt/ adj 1 a) [(with)] severe and demanding obedi-
ence, especially in rules of behaviour: a strict teacher | They
are very strict with their children. → compare SEVERE b)
which must be obeyed: He had strict instructions not to tell
anyone. 2 a) exact, perhaps too narrowly exact: a strict
interpretation of the facts b) complete: a strict teetotaller |
He told me about it in strict secrecy/in the strictest confi-
dence. —ly adv: Strictly (speaking) spiders aren't really
insects, although many people think they are. | Strictly
between ourselves (=no one else must know) I hear he's
resigning. —ness n [U]
stric·ture /'strɪktʃər/ n [(on)] fml 1 [C often pl.] an expression
of blame: The judge was severe in his strictures on their
behaviour. 2 something that strictly limits, morally or
physically: Because of our religion, there are certain strictures
on our behaviour.
stride¹ /straɪd/ v strode /strəʊd/, stridden /'strɪdn/ [I+adv/
prep] to walk with long steps or cross with one long step: She
strode purposefully up to the door and knocked loudly. | He
strode across the stream.
stride² n 1 a long step in walking 2 an advance or develop-
ment: The firm has made great/considerable strides since it
was taken over by the larger company. 3 get into one's
stride to begin to work or do something effectively and well
as a result of experience, interest etc 4 take something in
one's stride to accept and deal with an unpleasant or
unfamiliar situation without difficulty or loss of control: