Straw

/strɔː/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A thin tube made of plastic or other material used for sucking liquid from a container.

She sipped her drink through a colorful straw.

Dried stalks of grain, such as wheat or rice, left after the grain has been harvested.

They used straw for bedding in the barn.

A term used to describe something insubstantial or lacking strength.

The argument was just a straw, easily blown away by logic.

verb

To draw liquid through a straw or to convey something trivial.

He strawed the drink, trying to consume it as quickly as possible.

Old English streaw, of Germanic origin.

grasping at straws

To be in a hopeless situation and trying anything to make it better.

the last straw

The final problem in a series of problems that causes a situation to become unbearable.

hay

Dried grass or other plants, used as fodder.

reed

A tall, slender-leaved plant of the grass family, often found by water.

To 'straw' someone means to trick them or use them as a ploy.

He was just a straw in their scheme.

Referring to a person who is flimsy or lacking in substance.

Don’t be a straw; stand firm in your beliefs.