1. (

• strive ,
• reach ,
• strain

) to exert much effort or energy; "straining our ears to hear" ;

2. (

• try ,
• strain ,
• stress

) test the limits of; "You are trying my patience!" ;

3. (

• strain ,
• extend

) 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" ;

4. (

• sift ,
• sieve ,
• strain ,

) separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements; "sift the flour" ;

5. (

• tense ,
• strain ,
• tense_up

) cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious; "he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up" ;

6. (

• strain ,
• tense

) become stretched or tense or taut; "the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed"; "the rope strained when the weight was attached" ;

7. (

• filter ,
• filtrate ,
• strain ,
• separate_out ,
• filter_out

) remove by passing through a filter; "filter out the impurities" ;

8. (

• puree ,
• strain ,

) rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender; "puree the vegetables for the baby" ;

9. (

• deform ,
• distort ,
• strain

) alter the shape of (something) by stress; "His body was deformed by leprosy" ;

1. (

• labored ,
• laboured ,
• strained

) lacking natural ease; "a labored style of debating" ;

2. (

• strained

) showing signs of mental and emotional tension; "her voice was strained as she asked the question" ;

3. (

• constrained ,
• forced ,
• strained ,

) lacking spontaneity; not natural; "a constrained smile"; "forced heartiness"; "a strained smile" ;

4. (

• agonistic ,
• strained

) struggling for effect; "agonistic poses" ;