1. Stress or Tension: This is the most common meaning of strain. It refers to a feeling of pressure or anxiety, often caused by difficult circumstances.
* Example: "The exam was so difficult that I was feeling a lot of strain."
* Synonyms: stress, tension, pressure, anxiety
2. Overexertion: This meaning refers to the physical force that stretches or pulls a muscle, ligament, or tendon.
* Example: "He strained his back lifting heavy boxes."
* Synonyms: overexertion, injury, sprain
3. Biological Variation: In biology, a strain refers to a specific variant or sub-type of an organism, particularly a bacteria or virus.
* Example: "A new strain of the flu virus is spreading rapidly."
* Synonyms: variant, subtype
4. Filter: In photography and other image processing, a "strain" can refer to a filter that creates a specific effect on an image.
* Example: "This photo has a vintage strain applied to it."
5. Effort or Exertion: This meaning is less common, but it can refer to a great effort or exertion.
* Example: "She strained to hear the faint whisper."
* Synonyms: effort, struggle, exertion
To determine the correct meaning of "strain" in a specific context, consider the surrounding words and phrases.