The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

haul down: Stage-hands struck the set. As the wind piped up we struck the mainsail. 5 Usually, strike off or from or out. obliterate, expunge, erase, eradicate, blot out, delete,

scratch, eliminate, rub out, cross (out), cancel, wipe out, US x out: After the scandal, his name was struck off the register. Strike out any references that might be thought libellous. 6 light, ignite: He struck a match to see where he was going. 7 affect, impress, influence, afflict, Colloq hit: The death of her kitten struck Mandy to the heart. 8 make, reach, attain, conclude; agree or settle (on), ratify, confirm: We struck a bargain on the sale of the car. 9 occur or come to, dawn on or upon, Colloq hit, register (with): It suddenly struck me that you are leaving tomorrow. 10 impress, print, stamp, punch, mint, make: They have struck a new gold coin for collectors. 11 instil, implant, induce: Horror films struck fear into our hearts when we were children. 12 assume, adopt, put on, display, affect, take on, feign: He struck a supercilious pose of insouciant hauteur that annoyed her intensely. 13 Often, strike down. afflict, affect, attack, indispose, incapacitate, disable, cripple, invalid: Polio struck her down in the prime

of life. 14 encounter, come or happen or hit upon, come across, chance upon, discover, stumble on, find: The news is that they've struck oil in the North Sea. 15 revolt, rebel, mutiny, walk out (of or off the job): The machinists struck at

midnight, bringing the industry to a halt. 16 strike on or upon. dream up, devise, conjure up, improvise, work out, invent, contrive, come up with, hit on or upon, arrive at: The alchemist never did strike upon a way to turn lead into gold. 17 strike out. a fail, get nowhere, Colloq US miss the boat, flop, come a cropper, Slang US blow it, blow the gaff, come to nothing or naught or nought: Tim always strikes out when it comes to girls. b See 5, above. 18 strike up. (cause to) begin or start or commence: The band struck up. We struck up an acquaintance aboard ship.

--n. 19 attack, assault: A dawn air strike is planned. 20 walk-out, sit-down (strike), job action, slow-down, go-slow, work-to-rule: They will call a strike if negotiations break down.

striking adj. remarkable, astounding, astonishing, amazing, wondrous, awe-inspiring, awesome, stunning, impressive, imposing, fabulous, out of the ordinary, unusual, rare, exceptional,

marvellous, extraordinary, magnificent, superb, splendid, stupendous, Colloq great, smashing, Slang old-fashioned Brit ripping, ripsnorting, top-hole, topping: I met the most striking girl at the golf club.

string n. 1 line, cord, thread, twine, fibre, rope, cable, ligament, strand, filament: To fly a kite one needs the right weight of string. 2 leash, lead, leader: Why does he let her drag him around on the end of a string? 3 line, row, series, sequence, succession, chain, procession, stream, train, file, Chiefly Brit queue: A string of coincidences led to their meeting again after twenty years. 4 necklace, chain, loop, strand, dog-collar, choker, chaplet, wreath, riviŠre, Archaic carcanet: In her hair was a string of pearls. 5 pull strings or wires. use or exert influence, Colloq throw one's weight around: He had to pull strings to get his son a job on the paper. 6 pull the strings.

be in control, control, run, operate, dominate, be in command, be in the driver's seat, hold the reins, manipulate: She is the one who pulls the strings when it comes to new investments. 7 strings. conditions, stipulations, provisos, qualifications, requirements, prerequisites, terms, obligations, limitations, provisions, musts, Colloq catches: I might have known that there would be strings attached to their offer of a free holiday in Corfu.

--v. 8 thread, join: The children were busy stringing beads to make necklaces. 9 Often, string together or up. loop, festoon, link, drape, suspend, sling, hang, array, concatenate, chain together: At holiday time, coloured lights are strung round the town square. 10 string along. a follow, go along (with), agree, concur, collaborate: I said I would string along with the plan for the time being. b keep waiting or dangling, keep on a string, keep on tenterhooks, Colloq play fast and loose with (someone): She's just stringing you along till her boyfriend comes back. c fool, deceive, bluff, dupe, cheat, trick, hoax, Colloq take someone for a ride, put one or something over on (someone): They strung Harold along for months before they made off with his life savings. 11 string out. a stretch, reach, extend: The line of refugees strung out as far as one could see. b delay, postpone, drag out, protract, spin out: He strung out the repayment for as long as possible. 12 string up. hang, lynch: He knew that if the jury didn't convict him the townspeople would string him up.

excoriate, flay: The woodwork will need stripping before you repaint it. 2 disrobe, undress, get undressed, unclothe, strip down to nothing or to the skin or to the buff or to (one's) birthday suit, take off or peel off or divest (oneself) of or

shed (one's) clothes or clothing, get naked: The doctor told me to go behind the screen and strip. 3 (do a) striptease, US work the runway: Sugar Caine says she enjoys stripping for an appreciative audience. 4 remove, take away, confiscate, seize, expropriate, Slang rip off: He was accused of stripping the assets from the companies he purchased. 5 rob, pillage, despoil, plunder, ransack, loot, sack: Armies could be raised only by letting them strip the cities they conquered.

stripe n. 1 band, bar, striation, strip, streak, line, stroke, slash, length: Each railway car has a bright orange stripe along each side. 2 style, kind, sort, class, type, complexion, character, nature, description, persuasion, kidney, feather: These new students are of a completely different stripe.

striped adj. streaked, lined, striated: Why not wear your striped dress to the party?

stripling n. lad, boy, adolescent, juvenile, minor, schoolboy, youngster, teenager, youth, young fellow or man, fledgling, Dialect

gossoon, young 'un, Archaic hobbledehoy: The police cadet was a callow youth, a mere stripling.

strive v. 1 endeavour, strain, struggle, make every effort, attempt, try (hard), do one's best or utmost, exert oneself, work at, Colloq give (it) one's all, go all out: Jim strove to keep his self-control. Jennie strives for perfection in all she does. 2 compete, contend, fight: One must often strive against unbelievable odds to achieve a goal.

stroke n. 1 blow, rap, tap, thump, knock, smack, whack, swipe, slam, strike, Colloq wallop: One stroke of the hammer and the nail went in. 2 action, motion, go, move, movement, feat, achievement: She won the leading role and defeated her shyness at one stroke. 3 flourish, movement, gesture; mark, dash, Colloq splash: With a stroke of the pen the man's fate was sealed. 4 beat, throb, pulse, pulsation, thump: His heart was beating at exactly 72 strokes a minute. 5 attack, seizure, fit, apoplexy, apoplectic fit, spasm, paralytic attack or fit;

Technical embolism, thrombosis, cerebrovascular accident, aneurysm: Gerry has been incapacitated since he had a stroke. 6 pat, touch, caress: A few strokes of her fingers on my brow

and the headache was gone. 7 achievement, accomplishment, feat, act, action, work; example; touch: Your idea of having a jazz concert to raise money is a stroke of genius. 8 bit, jot or

tittle, scrap, iota, touch, stitch, hint, suggestion: You haven't done a stroke of work all morning. 9 occurrence, happening, matter: It was just a stroke of luck that I came along when I did.

--v. 10 caress, pet, pat, fondle; massage, rub, soothe: His heart beat faster when she stroked his hand lightly with her fingertips.

stroll v. 1 amble, saunter, ramble, walk, wander, promenade, meander, stray, Colloq mosey: I think I'll stroll over and buy a

newspaper.

--n. 2 amble, ramble, saunter, walk, wander, promenade, meander, constitutional: Father rarely missed his Sunday stroll in the park.

strong adj. 1 powerful, muscular, mighty, brawny, strapping, robust, sturdy, stalwart, burly, stout, sinewy, athletic, wiry, Colloq beefy, hefty, husky: He was so strong he carried both wounded men 500 yards to safety. 2 powerful, concentrated, intense, pungent, potent, sharp, piquant, acrid, heady, penetrating, aromatic, fragrant, hot, spicy: There was a strong odour of ammonia. The flavour is a little too strong for my taste. 3 smelly, odoriferous, noisome, stinking, foul, mephitic, miasmic, putrid, putrescent, rotten: There is a strong smell of rotting flesh. 4 concentrated, undiluted, potent, intensified: How can you drink such strong coffee and still sleep? 5 vigorous,

active, dynamic, energetic, eager, unflagging, tireless, unfailing, diligent, indefatigable, staunch, true-blue, steadfast, dedicated, enthusiastic, ardent, fervent, fervid, vehement, rabid, zealous, resolute, determined, unwavering, unswerving, firm, uncompromising, regular, persistent, tenacious, sedulous, assiduous, hard-working: We could use other strong party supporters like Sandy. 6 competent, talented, skilled, qualified, knowledgeable, able, experienced, well-versed, trained, efficient, capable: We are looking for

someone who is particularly strong in writing advertising copy. 7 influential, persuasive, convincing, compelling, trenchant, unmistakable or unmistakeable, telling, great, profound; effective, efficacious, effectual, powerful, formidable: His evidence had a strong effect on the jury. She was taking very strong medicine for her migraine. 8 well-supported, irrefutable, well-substantiated, cogent, forceful, substantial, convincing, conclusive: The police made out a very strong case against her for premeditated murder. 9 well-established, well-founded, redoubtable, substantial, powerful, formidable: The position inside the fortress was quite strong. 10 likely, definite, substantial, good, better than average, reasonable, sizeable: There is a strong possibility that she will be elected. Sales of cars were strong during the first quarter. 11 stable, sound, solvent, prosperous, flourishing, thriving, affluent: The economists think that the economy will remain strong. 12 solid, sturdy, substantial, tough, well-built, reinforced, heavy-duty, durable; hard-wearing: Is the cage strong enough to hold the beast? 13 drastic, extreme, Draconian, high-handed, severe, forceful, rigorous, harsh, stringent, aggressive, strenuous,

stiff, tough, Colloq hard-nosed: We had to resort to strong measures. 14 numerous, large, considerable, great; numerically, in number, in strength: They arrived on the battlefield with a strong force of ten thousand men. Their army was ten thousand strong. 15 vivid, graphic, etched, engraved, imprinted, impressed; definite, clear-cut, clear, pronounced, distinct, striking, marked: The memory of her embrace was still strong in my mind. He bears a strong resemblance to his brother. 16 wilful, aggressive, combative, defensive, difficult, assertive, incisive, dogmatic, doctrinaire, opinionated, self-willed, hard-headed, strong-minded, recalcitrant, stubborn, obstinate, emphatic, Colloq pushy: One cannot deny that Caroline has a strong personality. 17 vigorous, forceful, powerful, heavy: Strong winds lashed the west coast last night. 18 rugged,

stubborn adj. obstinate, unyielding, inflexible, intransigent, intractable, uncompromising, mulish, pigheaded, refractory, wayward, adamant, recalcitrant, bull-headed, persistent, tenacious, pertinacious, unrelenting, dogged, determined: He remains stubborn in his refusal to join the group.

student n. 1 pupil, learner, scholar, undergraduate, schoolboy, schoolgirl, schoolchild, trainee, apprentice, disciple; Colloq Brit swot or swotter or swat, US grind: Only students of advanced standing are admitted to this class. 2 devotee, follower, admirer, observer, evaluator, commentator, critic: Nicole is a perceptive student of human nature.

studied adj. premeditated, deliberate, calculated, planned, intentional, wilful, well-thought-out, conscious, contrived, feigned, forced, laboured: He treated even the greatest crisis with a studied air of insouciance.

studious adj. 1 assiduous, sedulous, diligent, industrious, attentive, careful, painstaking, thorough, tireless: Miniaturists must pay studious attention to detail. 2 scholarly, bookish, academic:

She refused to allow her athletic achievements to interfere with

her studious pursuits.

study v. 1 learn (about), read, con, memorize, burn the midnight oil, lucubrate, Colloq bone up (on), cram, Brit swot or swat, mug up: I want to study music. She has to study for an exam. 2 contemplate, consider, reflect on, think over or about, ruminate on, chew over, turn over, weigh, ponder, deliberate over or on or about, muse about or on, mull over, meditate on or about or over: I want to study the problem before deciding what to do.

3 look or go into or over, look at, scan, examine, analyse, inspect, investigate, scrutinize, survey, observe: The crime squad studied every square inch of the murder scene. Avoiding the issue as usual, Joyce silently studied her fingernails.

--n. 4 analysis, review, examination, survey, inquiry or enquiry, investigation, scrutiny, research, exploration:

Government funds are paying for a study of the ecosystem of the Norfolk Broads. 5 learning, lessons, bookwork, work, reading, contemplation, investigation, Colloq boning up, cramming, Brit swotting or swatting: The study of anthropology is what led him to his theory of linguistic universals. 6 library, reading or writing-room, sanctum (sanctorum), haunt, studio, retreat, den, workroom, office: Let's go into the study and talk business.

stuff n. 1 substance, material, matter, fabric, ingredients, essence, essentials, fundamentals, building blocks, makings: This is the stuff that dreams are made on. Is hydrogen the basic stuff of the universe? 2 equipment, goods, gear, trappings, kit, tackle, accessories, paraphernalia, accoutrements or US also accouterments, effects, belongings, possessions, things, bits and pieces, impedimenta, baggage, property, chattels, furniture, Brit lumber, Colloq junk, rubbish, crap, Brit clobber, Taboo slang shit: Graham left all his stuff with his mother when he went west. 3 spirit, attitude, grit, substance, makings,

talent(s), abilities, capabilities, qualities, attributes: Is

Simon the stuff of which commandos are made? 4 nonsense, trash, rubbish, stuff and nonsense, twaddle, humbug, bunkum, tommy-rot, balderdash, Colloq rot, garbage, bunk, tripe, poppycock, crap, malarkey, boloney or baloney, bosh, hogwash, swill, claptrap, piffle, hot air, flapdoodle, fiddle-faddle, codswallop, bull, US

horse feathers, Taboo slang bullshit, horseshit: You don't believe all that stuff you've been reading about me, do you? 5 creations, accomplishments, things, works, materials, matter:

Without the attributions, I'd have trouble telling their stuff apart.

--v. 6 jam, ram, cram, crowd, compress, pack, press, squeeze, squash, shove, thrust, force: You couldn't stuff another handkerchief into that suitcase. 7 line, fill, pack: Stuff the chicken with the following mixture. 8 overeat, gorge, overindulge, gormandize, gluttonize, Colloq make a pig or a hog of oneself: They really stuffed themselves at the wedding reception. 9 stuff up. clog, plug, obstruct, choke, block (up), stop or US also pack up: Phone the plumber: the drain is stuffed up again. The cold had given her a headache and a stuffed-up nose.

stuffy adj. 1 close, airless, unventilated, oppressive, stifling, suffocating, stale, musty, fusty, mouldy, mildewy, muggy, fetid or foetid, frowzy or frouzy or frowsy, Brit frowsty: It was stuffy in the ancient tomb. 2 pompous, pedantic, self-important, self-centred, stodgy, old-fogyish or old-fogeyish, old-fashioned, strait-laced, staid, conventional, prim (and proper), priggish, niminy-piminy, stilted, stiff,

rigid, Colloq fuddy-duddy, uptight: What a bore to be trapped for an entire evening with those stuffy old codgers!

stumble v. 1 falter, blunder, slip, trip, miss one's footing, stagger, lurch, flounder: Minnie caught her heel in the grating and stumbled. 2 falter, pause, hesitate, trip, slip, blunder: He

was very nervous and stumbled his way through his speech. 3 stumble on or upon. chance or come or happen on or upon, hit upon, come or run across, find, discover, encounter, Colloq bump into: I stumbled on a great new pub when I was out on Saturday.

stumbling-block

n. impediment, obstacle, bar, block, obstruction, hurdle, hindrance, barrier, difficulty, snag: It was often labour unions that proved the stumbling-blocks to technological progress.

stump n. 1 stub, butt, end: The branches were lopped off, leaving only the stumps.

--v. 2 mystify, confuse, perplex, bewilder, flummox, foil, puzzle, baffle, confound, dumbfound or dumfound, stop, stymie,

stunning adj. 1 stupefying, paralysing, staggering, benumbing, numbing; knockout: Another stunning punch to the head and McGinty went down. 2 beautiful, dazzling, brilliant, gorgeous, spectacular, ravishing, sensational, extraordinary, remarkable, marvellous, stupendous, fabulous, wonderful, superb, grand, divine,

heavenly, sublime, lovely, exquisite, glorious, astonishing, astounding, amazing, striking, splendid, staggering, overpowering, mind-boggling, earth-shaking, magnificent: There stood the most stunning creature I had ever laid eyes on. The team won a stunning victory in the county tournament.

lumpish, doltish, simple, simple-minded, moronic, imbecilic, cretinous, Boeotian, subnormal, feeble-minded, weak-minded, stolid, dull-witted, dim, dim-witted, halfwitted, thick, thick-witted, thickheaded, slow-witted, witless, brainless, mindless, empty-headed, bird-brained, feather-brained,