strain in WordNet English dictionary

1. a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
   "she was humming an air from Beethoven"
   tune  melody  air  strain  melodic line  line  melodic phrase 
   
2. a special variety of domesticated animals within a species
   "he experimented on a particular breed of white rats"; "he created a new strain of sheep"
   breed  strain  stock 
   
3. (biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups
   "a new strain of microorganisms"
   form  variant  strain  var. 
   
4. (psychology) nervousness resulting from mental stress
   "his responsibilities were a constant strain"; "the mental strain of staying alert hour after hour was too much for him"
   strain  mental strain  nervous strain 
   
5. an effortful attempt to attain a goal
   striving  nisus  pains  strain 
   
6. the act of singing
   "with a shout and a song they marched up to the gates"
   song  strain 
   
7. an intense or violent exertion
   strain  straining 
   
8. the general meaning or substance of an utterance
   "although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument"
   tenor  strain 
   
9. (physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
   strain 
   
10. injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse); results in swelling and pain
    strain 
    
11. difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension
    "she endured the stresses and strains of life"; "he presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger"- R.J.Samuelson
    stress  strain 
    

1. alter the shape of (something) by stress
   "His body was deformed by leprosy"
   deform  distort  strain 
   
2. use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity
   "He really extended himself when he climbed Kilimanjaro"; "Don't strain your mind too much"
   strain  extend 
   
3. remove by passing through a filter
   "filter out the impurities"
   filter  filtrate  strain  separate out  filter out 
   
4. rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender
   "puree the vegetables for the baby"
   puree  strain 
   
5. to exert much effort or energy
   "straining our ears to hear"
   strive  reach  strain 
   
6. separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements
   "sift the flour"
   sift  sieve  strain 
   
7. cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
   "he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up"
   tense  strain  tense up 
   
8. become stretched or tense or taut
   "the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed;" "the rope strained when the weight was attached"
   strain  tense 
   
9. test the limits of
   "You are trying my patience!"
   try  strain  stress