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1 N‑COUNT You can refer to a narrow strip of sea which joins two large areas of sea as a strait or the straits . □  An estimated 1600 vessels pass through the strait annually. □  …the Straits of Gibraltar.

2 N‑PLURAL [adj N ] If someone is in dire or desperate straits , they are in a very difficult situation, usually because they do not have much money. □  The company's closure has left many small businessmen in desperate financial straits.

strait|ened /stre I t ^ə nd/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If someone is living in straitened circumstances, they do not have as much money as they used to, and are finding it very hard to buy or pay for everything that they need. [FORMAL ] □  His father died when he was ten, leaving the family in straitened circumstances.

strait|jacket /stre I tdʒæk I t/ (straitjackets )

1 N‑COUNT A straitjacket is a special jacket used to tie the arms of a violent person tightly around their body.

2 N‑COUNT If you describe an idea or a situation as a straitjacket , you mean that it is very limited and restricting. □  The national curriculum must be a guide, not a straitjacket.

strai t-la ced also straight-laced , straitlaced ADJ If you describe someone as strait-laced , you disapprove of them because they have very strict views about what kind of behaviour is moral or acceptable. [DISAPPROVAL ] □  He was criticised for being boring, strait-laced and narrow-minded.

strand /stræ nd/ (strands , stranding , stranded )

1 N‑COUNT A strand of something such as hair, wire, or thread is a single thin piece of it. □ [+ of ] She tried to blow a gray strand of hair from her eyes. □ [+ of ] …high fences, topped by strands of barbed-wire.

2 N‑COUNT A strand of a plan or theory is a part of it. □  There had been two strands to his tactics. □  He's trying to bring together various strands of radical philosophic thought.

3 VERB If you are stranded , you are prevented from leaving a place, for example because of bad weather. □ [be V -ed] The climbers had been stranded by a storm.

strange ◆◆◇ /stre I ndʒ/ (stranger , strangest )

1 ADJ Something that is strange is unusual or unexpected, and makes you feel slightly nervous or afraid. □  Then a strange thing happened. □  There was something strange about the flickering blue light. □  It's strange how things turn out. ●  strange|ly ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj] □  She noticed he was acting strangely. □  The hut suddenly seemed strangely silent. ●  strange|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the breathy strangeness of the music.

2 ADJ [ADJ n] A strange place is one that you have never been to before. A strange person is someone that you have never met before. □  I ended up alone in a strange city. □  She was faced with a new job, in unfamiliar surroundings with strange people.

3 → see also stranger

strange|ly /stre I ndʒli/

1 ADV You use strangely to emphasize that what you are saying is surprising. [EMPHASIS ] □  Strangely, the race didn't start until 8.15pm. □  No, strangely enough, this is not the case.

2 → see also strange

stran|ger /stre I ndʒə ^r / (strangers )

1 N‑COUNT A stranger is someone you have never met before. □  Telling a complete stranger about your life is difficult. □  Sometimes I feel like I'm living with a stranger.

2 N‑PLURAL If two people are strangers , they do not know each other. □  The women knew nothing of the dead girl. They were strangers.