strings


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pull

 (po͝ol)
v. pulled, pull·ing, pulls
v.tr.
1. To apply force to (something) so as to cause or tend to cause motion toward the source of the force: pulled her chair up to the table; pulled the wagon down the street.
2. To remove from a fixed position; extract: The dentist pulled the tooth.
3. To tug at; jerk or tweak: I pulled the lever until it broke.
4. To rip or tear; rend: The dog pulled the toy to pieces.
5. To stretch (taffy, for example) repeatedly.
6. To strain (a muscle, for example) injuriously.
7. Informal To attract; draw: a performer who pulls large crowds.
8. Slang To draw out (a weapon) in readiness for use: pull a gun; pulled a knife on me.
9. Informal To remove: pulled the car's engine; pulled the tainted meat product from the stores.
10. Sports To hit (a ball) so that it moves in the direction away from the dominant hand of the player propelling it, as to the left of a right-handed player.
11. Nautical
a. To operate (an oar) in rowing.
b. To transport or propel by rowing.
c. To be rowed by: That boat pulls six oars.
12. To rein in (a horse) to keep it from winning a race.
13. Printing To produce (a print or an impression) from type.
v.intr.
1. To exert force in moving something toward the source of the force: Pull harder and the window will open.
2.
a. To move in a certain direction or toward a certain goal: pulled into the driveway; pulled even with the race leader.
b. To gain a position closer to an objective: Our team has pulled within three points of the league leader.
3. To drink or inhale deeply: pulled on the cold beer with gusto; pull on a cigarette.
4. Nautical To row a boat.
5. Informal To express or feel great sympathy or empathy: We're pulling for our new president.
n.
1. The act or process of pulling: gave the drawer a pull.
2. Force exerted in pulling or required to overcome resistance in pulling: How much pull does this tugboat have?
3. A sustained effort: a long pull across the mountains.
4. Something, such as a knob on a drawer, that is used for pulling.
5. A deep inhalation or draft, as on a cigarette or of a beverage.
6. Slang A means of gaining special advantage; influence: The lobbyist has pull with the senator.
7. Informal The ability to draw or attract; appeal: a star with pull at the box office.
Phrasal Verbs:
pull ahead
To move ahead, as in a race.
pull away
1. To move away or backward; withdraw: The limousine pulled away from the curb.
2. To move ahead of another or others: The horse pulled away and took the lead in the race.
pull back
1. To withdraw or retreat.
2. To reduce one's involvement in a given enterprise.
pull down
1. To demolish; destroy: pull down an old office building.
2. To reduce to a lower level: The bad news pulled down stock prices.
3. To depress, as in spirits or health.
4. Informal To draw (money) as wages: pulls down a hefty salary.
pull in
1. To arrive at a destination: We pulled in at midnight.
2. To obtain, earn, or secure: How much money does he pull in? She pulled in half of the opponent's supporters.
3. To rein in; restrain: pulled in the investigators.
4. To arrest (a criminal suspect, for example).
pull off Informal
To accomplish in spite of difficulties or obstacles; bring off: pulled off a last-minute victory.
pull out
1. To leave or depart: The train pulls out at noon.
2. To withdraw, as from a situation or commitment: After the crash, many Wall Street investors pulled out.
pull over
1. To bring a vehicle to a stop at a curb or at the side of a road: We pulled over to watch the sunset.
2. To force (a motorist or a vehicle) to stop at a curb or at the side of a road: The state trooper pulled the speeding motorist over.
pull round
To restore or be restored to sound health.
pull through
To come or bring successfully through trouble or illness.
pull up
1. To bring or come to a halt: The driver pulled the car up at the curb. The car pulled up in front of the hotel.
2. To approach and arrive at a destination: We watched the plane pull up to the gate.
3. To increase or cause to increase in altitude: The plane pulled up just enough to miss the tower.
4. To advance or regain position, as in a race.
5. To check the action of: The remark pulled him up short.
6. To reprove or rebuke: They were pulled up for wasting money.
7. Basketball To stop one's progress and bring the ball up above one's head in order to take a jump shot.
Idioms:
pull a fast one Informal
To play a trick or perpetrate a fraud.
pull (oneself) together
To regain one's composure.
pull (one's) punches
To refrain from deploying all the resources or force at one's disposal: didn't pull any punches during the negotiations.
pull (one's) weight
To do one's own share, as of work.
pull out all the stops Informal
To deploy all the resources or force at one's disposal: The Inaugural Committee pulled out all the stops when arranging the ceremonies.
pull (someone's) leg
To play a joke on; tease or deceive.
pull something
To carry out a deception or swindle: worried that his partners might be trying to pull something behind his back.
pull strings/wires Informal
To exert secret control or influence in order to gain an end.
pull the plug on Slang
To stop supporting or bring to an end: pulled the plug on the new art courses.
pull the rug (out) from under Informal
To remove all support and assistance from, usually suddenly.
pull the string
Baseball To throw an off-speed pitch.
pull the wool over (someone's) eyes
To deceive; hoodwink.
pull together
To make a joint effort.
pull up stakes
To clear out; leave: She pulled up stakes in New England and moved to the desert.

[Middle English pullen, from Old English pullian.]

pull′er n.
Synonyms: pull, drag, draw, haul, tow1, tug
These verbs mean to cause something to move toward the source of an applied force. Pull is the most general: They pulled the sleds up a hill.
Drag stresses the effort involved in pulling, and also often that the object being moved is trailing along a surface: "His hands were dirty too, and they streaked his face as he dragged his fingers against his cheeks" (Paul Theroux).
Draw can be used to imply movement in a given direction: The teacher drew the children into the room to see the decorations.
Draw can also be used to indicate pulling so as to cover or uncover another object: She draws the curtains so we can see the sunlight.
To haul is to pull an object that is heavy, cumbersome, or otherwise difficult to move: "All three of us roll the drum to the driveway, flattening a strip of knee-high grass, acting like we haul mystery drums every day" (Mark Wisniewski).
Tow means to pull by means of a chain or line: Some cars can tow trailers.
Tug emphasizes repeated and sometimes vigorous pulling: "A strong-willed baby, wide awake and not to be ignored, already reaching out filament fingers to tug at her" (Tana French).
Antonym: push

string

 (strĭng)
n.
1.
a. Material made of drawn-out, twisted fiber, used for fastening, tying, or lacing.
b. A strand or cord of such material.
2. Music
a. A cord stretched on an instrument and struck, plucked, or bowed to produce tones.
b. strings The section of a band or orchestra composed of stringed instruments, especially violins, violas, cellos, and double basses.
c. strings Stringed instruments or their players considered as a group.
3. Something resembling a string or appearing as a long, thin line: limp strings of hair.
4. A plant fiber.
5. Physics One of the extremely minute objects that form the basis of string theory.
6.
a. A set of objects threaded together or attached on a string: a string of beads.
b. A number of objects arranged in a line: a string of islands.
c. Computers A set of consecutive characters.
7. A series of similar or related acts, events, or items: a string of victories. See Synonyms at series.
8.
a. A set of animals, especially racehorses, belonging to a single owner; a stable.
b. A scattered group of businesses under a single ownership or management: a string of boutiques.
9. Sports
a. A group of players ranked according to ability within a team: He made the second string.
b. A complete game consisting of ten frames in bowling.
10. Architecture
a. A stringboard.
b. A stringcourse.
11. Games The balk line in billiards.
12. Informal A limiting or hidden condition. Often used in the plural: a gift with no strings attached.
v. strung (strŭng), string·ing, strings
v.tr.
1. To fit or furnish with strings or a string: string a guitar; string a tennis racket.
2. To stretch out or extend: string a wire across a room.
3. To thread on a string: string popcorn.
4. To arrange in a line or series: strung the words into a sentence.
5. To fasten, tie, or hang with a string or strings: string a hammock between trees.
6. To strip (vegetables) of fibers.
v.intr.
To extend or progress in a string, line, or succession: "We followed the others stringing through the narrow paved paths" (Susan Richards Shreve).
Phrasal Verbs:
string along Informal
1. To go along with something; agree.
2. To keep (someone) waiting or in a state of uncertainty.
3. To fool, cheat, or deceive.
string out
To draw out; prolong.
string up Informal
To kill (someone) by hanging.
Idiom:
on a/the string
Under one's complete control or influence.

[Middle English, from Old English streng.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

strings

  • belly - In the violin family, the top surface of an instrument, across which the strings are placed.
  • spaghetti - Naming pastas for everyday things is an Italian tradition, as in spaghetti, which means "strings."
  • plectrum - Originally a device for tightening the strings of a harp, it is now the piece used to pluck a guitar's strings; its plural is plectrums or plectra.
  • puppet, marionette - The word puppet originally meant "doll," and a puppet usually goes on the hand and arm, while a marionette (or string puppet) is a jointed figure with strings or wires.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

strings

Imaginary lines through the spots on a table and parallel to the ends of the table.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.strings - the section of an orchestra that plays stringed instrumentsstrings - the section of an orchestra that plays stringed instruments
section - a division of an orchestra containing all instruments of the same class
violin section - the section of an orchestra that plays violins
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
الآلات الوتَرِيَّه في الأوركِسْترا
smyčce
strygere
vonósok
strengjasveit
yaylı sazlar grubu

string

(striŋ) noun
1. (a piece of) long narrow cord made of threads twisted together, or tape, for tying, fastening etc. a piece of string to tie a parcel; a ball of string; a puppet's strings; apron-strings.
2. a fibre etc, eg on a vegetable.
3. a piece of wire, gut etc on a musical instrument, eg a violin. His A-string broke; (also adjective) He plays the viola in a string orchestra.
4. a series or group of things threaded on a cord etc. a string of beads.
verbpast tense, past participle strung (straŋ)
1. to put (beads etc) on a string etc. The pearls were sent to a jeweller to be strung.
2. to put a string or strings on (eg a bow or stringed instrument). The archer strung his bow and aimed an arrow at the target.
3. to remove strings from (vegetables etc).
4. to tie and hang with string etc. The farmer strung up the dead crows on the fence.
strings noun plural
(in an orchestra, the group of people who play) stringed instruments, ie violins, violas, 'cellos and double basses. The conductor said the strings were too loud.
ˈstringy adjective
(especially of meat or vegetables) having a lot of tough fibres.
ˈstringiness noun
string bean
the long, edible green or yellow pod of certain beans.
stringed instruments
musical instruments that have strings eg violins, guitars etc.
have (someone) on a string
to have (a person) under one's control.
pull strings
to use one's influence or that of others to gain an advantage.
pull the strings
to be the person who is really, though usually not apparently, controlling the actions of others.
string out
to stretch into a long line. The runners were strung out along the course.
strung up
very nervous.
stringent (ˈstrindʒənt) adjective
(of rules etc) very strict, or strongly enforced. There should be much more stringent laws against the dropping of rubbish in the streets.
ˈstringently adverb
ˈstringency noun
1. the quality of being strict.
2. scarcity of money for lending etc. in times of stringency; (also adjective) The government are demanding stringency measures.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
"It's just this," said the doctor, taking a finger of his kid glove in his white hands and pulling it, "if you don't strain the strings, and then try to break them, you'll find it a difficult job; but strain a string to its very utmost, and the mere weight of one finger on the strained string will snap it.
When the people observed I was quiet, they discharged no more arrows; but, by the noise I heard, I knew their numbers increased; and about four yards from me, over against my right ear, I heard a knocking for above an hour, like that of people at work; when turning my head that way, as well as the pegs and strings would permit me, I saw a stage erected about a foot and a half from the ground, capable of holding four of the inhabitants, with two or three ladders to mount it: from whence one of them, who seemed to be a person of quality, made me a long speech, whereof I understood not one syllable.
These were strung on strings, and the strings were called money.
He cannot beat me, and old bones are tender when the round flesh thins to strings.
But Ulysses, when he had taken it up and examined it all over, strung it as easily as a skilled bard strings a new peg of his lyre and makes the twisted gut fast at both ends.
When the swallows heard this, they all came down on to the Doctor's ship; and they told him to unravel some pieces of long rope and make them into a lot of thin strings as quickly as he could.
And they say (the starry choir And all the listening things) That Israfeli's fire Is owing to that lyre By which he sits and sings - The trembling living wire Of those unusual strings.
The Scarecrow and the Woodman now began to fasten the mice to the truck, using the strings they had brought.
After first untwisting the strings from the hooks, Hester rose, and held the candle so as to light the cavity in the wall.
"You are," said the page, "the most worthy wife of a most arch-worthy governor; and as a proof of what I say accept this letter and this present;" and at the same time he took out of his pocket a string of coral beads with gold clasps, and placed it on her neck, and said, "This letter is from his lordship the governor, and the other as well as these coral beads from my lady the duchess, who sends me to your worship."
As the Sheriff looked around ere he ordered his men to string the three youths up to the oak tree, his eyes fell upon this strange old man.
There was no string, but I frolicked along with my master to the Twenty-third street ferry.