stranded; stranding; strands
1
: to run, drive, or cause to drift onto a strand : run aground
2
: to leave in a strange or an unfavorable place especially without funds or means to depart
3
: to leave (a base runner) on base at the end of an inning in baseball
: to become stranded
1
a
: fibers or filaments twisted, plaited, or laid parallel to form a unit for further twisting or plaiting into yarn, thread, rope, or cordage
b
: one of the wires twisted together or laid parallel to form a wire rope or cable
c
: something (such as a molecular chain) resembling a strand
a strand of DNA
2
a
: an element (such as a yarn or thread) of a woven or plaited material
b
: a threadlike piece of natural or synthetic material
a strand of hair
3
: an elongated or twisted and plaited body resembling a rope
a strand of pearls
4
: one of the elements interwoven in a complex whole
one strand of the novel's plot
stranded; stranding; strands
1
: to break a strand of (a rope) accidentally
2
a
: to form (something, such as a rope) from strands
b
: to play out, twist, or arrange in a strand
Synonyms
Examples of strand in a Sentence
Noun (1)
the wishful dream of living an indolent, idyllic existence on some far-off strand
Verb (1)
the ghostly remains of ships that had been stranded by the reef
he just drove off, stranding her in some dinky town with just a few bucks and the clothes she was wearing
Recent Examples on the Web
Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 14 Nov. 2024
Volunteers string more than 50 strands of lights — that's more than 4,000 bulbs — around the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis.
—Holly V. Hays, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Nov. 2024
Tirana Hassan, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
And get stranded with a big band in Europe, and some sucker is gonna come talk to me about sellin’ out.
—August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for strand 
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Noun
The vegetable doesn’t need to be incredibly soft to create spaghetti-like strands.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 14 Nov. 2024
Volunteers string more than 50 strands of lights — that's more than 4,000 bulbs — around the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis.
—Holly V. Hays, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Nov. 2024
Verb
They were stranded, trying to raise the $350 per adult and $150 per child charged by smugglers to cross the Darién Gap.
—Tirana Hassan, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
And get stranded with a big band in Europe, and some sucker is gonna come talk to me about sellin’ out.
—August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for strand
Dictionary Entries Near strand
Cite this Entry
“Strand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strand. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
strand
2 of 3 verb1
: to run aground : beach
boats stranded by the storm
2
: to leave in a strange or an unfavorable place especially without a way of departing
stranded in a strange city
strand
3 of 3 noun1
: one of the fibers, threads, strings, or wires twisted or braided to make a cord, rope, or cable
2
: something resembling a strand
a strand of pearls
a strand of DNA
3
: one of the elements of a complicated whole
the strands of a legal argument
Etymology
Noun
Old English strand "shore"
Noun
Middle English strond "strand, fiber"
Medical Definition
strand
noun
: something (as a molecular chain) resembling a thread
a strand of DNA
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