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Definition of straw noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

straw

noun
 
/strɔː/
 
/strɔː/
 Idioms
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  1. [uncountable] stems of wheat or other grain plants that have been cut and dried. Straw is used for making mats, hats, etc., for packing things to protect them, and as food for animals or for them to sleep on.
    • a mattress filled with straw
    • a straw hat
    compare hay
    Extra Examples
    • The animals sleep on straw.
    • The rat hid in the straw.
    Topics Farmingb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • clean
    • fresh
    … of straw
    • bale
    preposition
    • in (the) straw
    • on (the) straw
    See full entry
  2. [countable] a single stem or piece of straw
    • He was leaning over the gate chewing on a straw.
  3. (also drinking straw)
     a thin tube of plastic or paper that you drink a liquid through
    • She drank her milkshake through a straw.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • drinking
    • bendy
    • plastic
    • …
    preposition
    • through a straw
    See full entry
    4. Word OriginOld English strēaw, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stroo and German Stroh, also to strew.
Idioms
clutch/grasp at straws
  1. to try all possible means to find a solution or some hope in a difficult or unpleasant situation, even though this seems very unlikely
    • I know I’m just clutching at straws here, but is it possible that the doctors are wrong?
draw the short straw (British English)
(North American English get the short end of the stick)
  1. to be the person in a group who is chosen or forced to perform an unpleasant duty or task
    • I drew the short straw and had to clean the toilets.
draw straws (for something)
  1. to use a method of choosing somebody to do or have something in which each person takes a piece of paper, etc. from a container and the one whose paper has a special mark is chosen
    • We drew straws for who went first.
the last/final straw | the straw that breaks the camel’s back
  1. the last in a series of bad events, etc. that makes it impossible for you to accept a situation any longer
make bricks without straw
  1. (British English) to try to work without the necessary material, money, information, etc.
a straw in the wind
  1. (British English) a small sign of what might happen in the future
See straw in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: straw

Nearby words

dizzy
adjective
 
 
From the Topic
Health problems
C1
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