strait
adjective
\ ˈstrāt
\
\
Definition of strait
(Entry 1 of 3)
strait
adverbDefinition of strait (Entry 2 of 3)
obsolete
: in a close or tight manner
strait
nounDefinition of strait (Entry 3 of 3)
1a
archaic
: a narrow space or passage
b
: a comparatively narrow passageway connecting two large bodies of water
—often used in plural but singular in construction
c
: isthmus
2
: a situation of perplexity or distress
—often used in plural in dire straits
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Examples of strait in a Sentence
Noun
Her campaign is in desperate straits. The company is in desperate financial straits. The economy is in dire straits.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
India will have to gird for the coming border war with an expansionist China, and Taiwan will prepare for the inevitable cross-strait invasion. — Jerry Hendrix, National Review, "Why the United States Needs a 355-Ship Navy Now," 18 Oct. 2017 While other performers revel in the inherent humor of their roles, Laura Carns is entrusted with the more strait-laced persona of Alice Sycamore. — Bob Kostanczuk, Post-Tribune, "Opera House brings new life to 'You Can't Take it With You'," 6 Sep. 2017 One of the world's most important sea lanes, millions of barrels of oil and petroleum products pass through the strait daily, according to GlobalSecurity.org. — Brad Lendon And Steve George, CNN, "China sends troops to Djibouti, establishes first overseas military base," 13 July 2017 A laconic, strait-laced, hilariously hard-boiled investigator with an encyclopedic knowledge of perps past and present, Miramontes’ Charlie isn’t about to be led around by the nose by femmes Mona or Veronica. — Orange County Register, "‘Kill Me, Deadly’ in Fullerton delivers dead-on parody of film noir," 29 Mar. 2017 Subsequent episodes, including one in which the most strait-laced teacher got looped on alcohol and ran wild and naked through the halls like a demented leprechaun, maintained the madcap standard. — James Wolcott, HWD, "5 Underrated TV Shows You Should Watch Right Now," 18 Jan. 2017 Subsequent episodes, including one in which the most strait-laced teacher got looped on alcohol and ran wild and naked through the halls like a demented leprechaun, maintained the madcap standard. — James Wolcott, vanityfair.com, "5 Underrated TV Shows You Should Watch Right Now," 18 Jan. 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Unsurprisingly, dire financial straits are common at the bottom of the football pyramid, where there are smaller crowds and less money is to be made from sponsorship and broadcasting rights. — The Economist, "The end of a 134-year-old English football club," 31 Aug. 2019 The Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, where a British tanker that was seized in July is still being held, is near what internationally important strait? 6. — CNN, "CNN 10 - August 23, 2019," 22 Aug. 2019 And in 1741, Vitus Bering successfully crossed the strait that bears his name and sighted Mt. Saint Elias, near what is now the village of Yakutat, Alaska. — William L. Iggiagruk Hensley, Quartz, "Long before Trump’s Greenland offer, the US bought a chunk of the Arctic for a bargain," 19 Aug. 2019 More: Tulsi Gabbard: Bashar al-Assad is 'a brutal dictator, just like Saddam Hussein' Later in the night, however, Castro thanked Obama for helping revive an economy that was in ire straits in 2009 when Obama took office. — Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, "'#ThanksObama': 2020 Democrats walk back Obama criticisms," 2 Aug. 2019 Michigan’s attorney general filed a lawsuit in state court last month that would shut down the pipeline across the Straits of Mackinac and block Enbridge from digging a tunnel beneath the straits. — Lee Bergquist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Enbridge says it might reroute pipeline after lawsuit by Wisconsin Indian tribe," 25 July 2019 Roughly a third of the world’s seaborne oil is shipped via the strait, some of which falls within Iranian waters. — Robin Wright, The New Yorker, "Iran’s Eye-for-an-Eye Strategy in the Gulf," 19 July 2019 Policy initiatives have become imperative as the dire straits that airlines are in show. — Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, "Dear finance minister, your budget could seal Indian aviation’s fate," 3 July 2019 The internal discussions show Deutsche Bank’s dire straits, buffeted by dismal profit expectations and exasperated investors looking for a reason to believe in the shares. — Jenny Strasburg, WSJ, "Deutsche Bank Considers Up to 20,000 Job Cuts," 28 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'strait.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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