straw


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Related to straw: straw man, drinking straw

straw

 (strô)
n.
1.
a. Stalks of threshed grain, used as bedding and food for animals, for thatching, and for weaving or braiding, as into baskets.
b. A single stalk of threshed grain.
2. Pieces or a piece of natural or artificial strawlike material.
3. Something, such as a hat or basket, made of straw.
4. A slender tube used for sucking up a liquid.
5.
a. Something of minimal value or importance.
b. The least valuable bit; a jot: I don't care a straw what you think.
c. Something with too little substance to provide support in a crisis: Near the end we were grasping at straws.
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or made of straw: a straw mat.
2. Containing or used for straw, as a barn or feeding trough.
3. Of the color of straw; yellowish.
4.
a. Of, relating to, or constituting a straw man.
b. Apparently legitimate but actually intended as a cover for illegal or secret activity: set up a straw company to launder money.
Idioms:
final/last straw
The final annoyance or setback, which even though minor makes one no longer able to endure something.
straw in the wind
A slight hint of something to come.

[Middle English, from Old English strēaw; see ster- in Indo-European roots.]

straw′y adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

straw

(strɔː)
n
1. (Agriculture) stalks of threshed grain, esp of wheat, rye, oats, or barley, used in plaiting hats, baskets, etc, or as fodder
2. (as modifier): a straw hat.
3. (Botany) a single dry or ripened stalk, esp of a grass
4. (Cookery) a long thin hollow paper or plastic tube or stem of a plant, used for sucking up liquids into the mouth
5. (usually used with a negative) anything of little value or importance: I wouldn't give a straw for our chances.
6. a measure or remedy that one turns to in desperation (esp in the phrases clutch or grasp at a straw or straws)
7. (Colours)
a. a pale yellow colour
b. (as adjective): straw hair.
8. straw in the wind a hint or indication
9. the last straw a small incident, setback, etc that, coming after others, proves intolerable
adj
chiefly US having little value or substance
[Old English streaw; related to Old Norse strā, Old Frisian strē, Old High German strō; see strew]
ˈstrawˌlike adj

straw

(strɔː)
vb
archaic another word for strew

Straw

(strɔː)
n
(Biography) Jack, full name John Whitaker Straw. born 1946, British Labour politician; Home Secretary (1997–2001); Foreign Secretary (2001–06); Lord Chancellor (2007–10)
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

straw

(strɔ)

n.
1. a single stalk or stem esp. of a cereal grass, as wheat, rye, oats, or barley.
2. a mass of such stalks, esp. after drying and threshing, used as fodder.
3. material made from such stalks and used to fashion hats or baskets.
4. something of negligible value: not to care a straw.
5. a paper, plastic, or glass tube for sucking up a beverage from a container.
7. something made of straw, esp. a hat.
adj.
8. of, pertaining to, or made of straw: a straw hat.
9. of the color of straw; pale yellow.
10. of little value or consequence; worthless.
11. sham; fictitious.
Idioms:
1. catch, clutch, or grasp at a straw or at straws, to pursue even the slightest hope or possibility out of desperation.
2. straw in the wind, a piece of information foreshadowing future events.
[before 950; Middle English; Old English strēaw, c. Old Frisian strē, Old Saxon, Old High German strō, Old Norse strā; akin to strew]
straw′y, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

straw


Past participle: strawed
Gerund: strawing

Imperative
straw
straw
Present
I straw
you straw
he/she/it straws
we straw
you straw
they straw
Preterite
I strawed
you strawed
he/she/it strawed
we strawed
you strawed
they strawed
Present Continuous
I am strawing
you are strawing
he/she/it is strawing
we are strawing
you are strawing
they are strawing
Present Perfect
I have strawed
you have strawed
he/she/it has strawed
we have strawed
you have strawed
they have strawed
Past Continuous
I was strawing
you were strawing
he/she/it was strawing
we were strawing
you were strawing
they were strawing
Past Perfect
I had strawed
you had strawed
he/she/it had strawed
we had strawed
you had strawed
they had strawed
Future
I will straw
you will straw
he/she/it will straw
we will straw
you will straw
they will straw
Future Perfect
I will have strawed
you will have strawed
he/she/it will have strawed
we will have strawed
you will have strawed
they will have strawed
Future Continuous
I will be strawing
you will be strawing
he/she/it will be strawing
we will be strawing
you will be strawing
they will be strawing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been strawing
you have been strawing
he/she/it has been strawing
we have been strawing
you have been strawing
they have been strawing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been strawing
you will have been strawing
he/she/it will have been strawing
we will have been strawing
you will have been strawing
they will have been strawing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been strawing
you had been strawing
he/she/it had been strawing
we had been strawing
you had been strawing
they had been strawing
Conditional
I would straw
you would straw
he/she/it would straw
we would straw
you would straw
they would straw
Past Conditional
I would have strawed
you would have strawed
he/she/it would have strawed
we would have strawed
you would have strawed
they would have strawed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.straw - plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodderstraw - plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
cushioning, padding - artifact consisting of soft or resilient material used to fill or give shape or protect or add comfort
plant fiber, plant fibre - fiber derived from plants
2.straw - material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seedsstraw - material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds
bran - broken husks of the seeds of cereal grains that are separated from the flour by sifting
plant material, plant substance - material derived from plants
3.straw - a variable yellow tintstraw - a variable yellow tint; dull yellow, often diluted with white
yellow, yellowness - yellow color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of sunflowers or ripe lemons
4.straw - a thin paper or plastic tube used to suck liquids into the mouthstraw - a thin paper or plastic tube used to suck liquids into the mouth
tube, tubing - conduit consisting of a long hollow object (usually cylindrical) used to hold and conduct objects or liquids or gases
Verb1.straw - cover or provide with or as if with straw; "cows were strawed to weather the snowstorm"
cover - provide with a covering or cause to be covered; "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers"
2.straw - spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic); "strew toys all over the carpet"
bestrew - cover by strewing
litter - make a place messy by strewing garbage around
spread, distribute - distribute or disperse widely; "The invaders spread their language all over the country"
Adj.1.straw - of a pale yellow color like straw; straw-colored
chromatic - being or having or characterized by hue
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
قَشقَشَّةقَشَّة لِشُرْب العَصير من القَنّينَهقَشَّهمَصَّاصَة
slámabrčkoslaměnýstéblo
halmstråsugerør
õlekõrspõhk
olkipillioljenkeltainen
slamaslamka
szalmaszalmaszálszívószál
hálmstráhálmurrör
ストロー麦わら
빨대지푸라기
paskutinis lašasšiaudaišiaudasšiaudelisšiaudinis
salmisalmiņšsalmssalmu-
paie
slamaslamenýslamkasteblo
slamaslamica
слама
halmstråsugrör
ฟางข้าวหลอด
samansaman çöpükamışpipet
ống hútrơm

straw

[strɔː]
A. N
1. (Agr) → paja f
the straw that breaks the camel's backla gota que colma el vaso
to clutch or grasp at strawsagarrarse a un clavo ardiendo
to draw or get the short strawser elegido para hacer algo desagradable
I always draw the short strawsiempre me toca a mí la china
it's the last straw!¡es el colmo!, ¡sólo faltaba eso!
it's a straw in the windsirve de indicio
2. (= drinking straw) → pajita f, caña f, popote m (Mex)
to drink through a strawbeber con pajita
B. ADJ (= made of straw) → de paja; (= colour) → pajizo, color paja
C. CPD straw hat Nsombrero m de paja
straw man Nhombre m de paja
straw poll, straw vote Nvotación f de tanteo
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

straw

[ˈstrɔː]
n
(= dried stalks) → paille f
a bale of straw → une botte de paille
(= single stem) → paille f
that's the last straw! (= too much) → ça, c'est le comble!
to clutch at straws, to grasp at straws → se raccrocher aux branches
(also drinking straw) → paille f
modif [boater, hat, mat] → de paille
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

straw

n
(= stalk)Strohhalm m; (collectively) → Stroh nt no pl; it’s the last straw, it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back (prov) → das ist der letzte Tropfen, der das Fass zum Überlaufen bringt (prov); that’s the last or final straw! (inf)das ist der Gipfel! (inf); it’s a straw in the winddas ist ein Vorzeichen; to clutch or grasp at strawssich an einen Strohhalm klammern; to draw the short strawden kürzeren ziehen; man of strawStrohmann m; (in politics) → Marionette f; (= set-up opponent)Scheingegner(in) m(f) ? drowning
(= drinking straw)Trink- or Strohhalm m
adj attrStroh-; basketaus Stroh; straw matStrohmatte f

straw

:
straw boss
n (US inf) → Pro-forma-Vorgesetzte(r) mf
straw-coloured, (US) straw-colored
adjstrohfarben, strohfarbig; hairstrohblond
straw hat
nStrohhut m
straw man
nStrohmann m; (in politics) → Marionette f; (= set-up opponent)Scheingegner(in) m(f)
straw mattress
nStrohsack m
straw poll, straw vote
nProbeabstimmung f; (in election) → Wählerbefragung f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

straw

[strɔː] npaglia; (drinking straw) → cannuccia
that's the last straw! → questa è la goccia che fa traboccare il vaso!
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

straw

(stroː) noun
1. (also adjective) (of) the cut stalks of corn etc, having many uses, eg as bedding for cattle etc, making mats and other goods etc. The cows need fresh straw; a straw hat.
2. a single stalk of corn. There's a straw in your hair; Their offer isn't worth a straw!
3. a paper or plastic tube through which to suck a drink into the mouth. He was sipping orange juice through a straw.
the last straw
an additional and intolerable circumstance in a disagreeable situation. The hotel was expensive, the food poor, and the bad weather was the last straw.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

straw

قَشَّة, مَصَّاصَة brčko, sláma strå, sugerør Stohhalm, Stroh άχυρο, καλαμάκι paja, pajita olki, pilli paille slama, slamka cannuccia, paglia ストロー, 麦わら 빨대, 지푸라기 rietje, stro strå, sugerør słomka canudo, palha солома, соломинка halmstrå, sugrör ฟางข้าว, หลอด pipet, saman ống hút, rơm 吸管, 稻草
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
Their mangers were placed circular in the middle of the room, and divided into several partitions, round which they sat on their haunches, upon bosses of straw. In the middle was a large rack, with angles answering to every partition of the manger; so that each horse and mare ate their own hay, and their own mash of oats and milk, with much decency and regularity.
Batches of the animals were sent away daily to this lying-in hospital, where they lived on straw till their calves were born, after which event, and as soon as the calf could walk, mother and offspring were driven back to the dairy.
When everything was nearly ready and only the reins had to be adjusted, Nikita sent the other man to the shed for some straw and to the barn for a drugget.
So she made a fire on her hearth, and that it might burn the quicker, she lighted it with a handful of straw. When she was emptying the beans into the pan, one dropped without her observing it, and lay on the ground beside a straw, and soon afterwards a burning coal from the fire leapt down to the two.
"Are there any other people in Saint Germain who sell straw?"
We've got his straw pallet, we're going to have a bonfire out of it.
Their psychology is bovine, their outlook crude and rare; They abandon vital matters to be tickled with a straw; But the straw that they were tickled with--the chaff that they were fed with-- They convert into a weaver's beam to break their foeman's head with.
A cock was once strutting up and down the farmyard among the hens when suddenly he espied something shinning amid the straw. "Ho!
As the coach stops, a gentleman in a straw hat looks out of the window:
A rope was tied around his waist to hold him in shape, for he was stuffed with straw in every part of him except the top of his head, where at one time the Wizard of Oz had placed sawdust, mixed with needles and pins, to sharpen his wits.
And so he too joined them; and away the ship flew on, and on, and on, and once more the Simpleton looked out, and this time he saw a man carrying straw upon his back.
Its head was a small sack stuffed with straw, with eyes, nose, and mouth painted on it to represent a face.