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string

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: String

English

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String (sense 1)

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English string, streng, strynge, from Old English strenġ, from Proto-West Germanic *strangi, from Proto-Germanic *strangiz (“string”), from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- (“rope, cord, strand; to tighten”).

Cognate with Scots string (“string”), Dutch streng (“cord, strand”), Low German strenge (“strand, cord, rope”), German Strang (“strand, cord, rope”), Danish streng (“string”), Swedish sträng (“string, cord, wire”), Icelandic strengur (“string”), Latvian stringt (“to be tight, wither”), Latin stringō (“to tighten”), Ancient Greek στραγγαλόομαι (strangalóomai, “to strangle”), from στραγγάλη (strangálē, “halter”), Ancient Greek στραγγός (strangós, “tied together, entangled, twisted”).

Noun

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string (countable and uncountable, plural strings)

  2. (countable, uncountable) A long, thin and flexible structure made from threads twisted together.
    Synonyms: cord, rope, line, thread, twine; see also Thesaurus:string
    • She bought cotton thread to use to make string.
    • I need three strings to complete the project.
    • 1700, Matthew Prior, Carmen Seculare. for the Year 1700:
      Round Ormond's knee thou tiest the mystic string.
    1. (figurative, sometimes plural) Control; influence.
      I always know what position he'll take because the Chairwoman of the Board has her string on him.
      • You have to keep the piece with your mother-in-law, because mothers always have strings in their child.
      • 1909, N. Y. Homer, A Slight Indiscretion‎[1], Cochrane Publishing Company, pages 122-123:
        "Mr. Chairman, it gives me pleasure to mention the name of Mr. J. M. Blake as one of the delegates from this ward; and I can confidently assure the house that if he is made a delegate he can be counted on to represent the whole people and cater only to their wishes, as it is well known that no one has had or ever can have a string on him."
    2. (figurative, in the plural) The conditions and limitations in a contract collectively.
      Synonyms: conditions, provisions
      The deal sounds good, but what are the strings?
      no strings attached
      • 2022 December 14, Mel Holley, “Network News: Strikes go on as RMT rejects RDG's "detrimental" offer”, in RAIL, number 972, page 8:
        But he added: "The RDG offer contains more strings than a harp, including some which have never previously been discussed. It also omits significant points that had previously been negotiated."
    3. (figurative) A controlling inner sense, emotion, memory, etc.
      tug on the heart strings
      The experience struck a string in him that turned into a lifetime hobby.
      The sight triggered a string of revulsion in her.
      The smell pulled a string that reawakened his memory of his grandmother's cooking.
    4. (basketball, figurative) Control over the basketball in a game; the state of being in sync as a team, as if connected by a string.
      You have to get the ball on an absolute string.
      The team needs to be on a string.
      Tell Johnson he needs to be on a string with the ball.
  3. (countable) Any similar long, thin and flexible material.
    The headdress's frame is made with strings of gold.
    1. (sports) A length of nylon or other material comprising the webbing on the head of a racquet or the mesh pocket of a lacrosse stick.
      Synonym: stringbed
    2. (botany) The tough fibrous substance that unites the valves of the pericarp of leguminous plants.
      the strings of beans; a string bean
    3. (archery) A bowstring.
      You have to be strong to pull on the string.
      1. (usually used with jump) The sound of a bowstring releasing, which often causes a target animal to jump.
        The deer jumped the string.
    5. (music, music) A segment of wire, made of plastic, metal or other material, used as the sound-producing vibrating element on a chordophone.
      a violin string
      1. (metonymic, sometimes in the plural) A stringed instrument.
        • 2006, Lou Grantt, At the Lake‎[2], page 93:
          He lacked Ginny's skill on the strings, but made up for it in enthusiasm.
          refers to a guitar
      2. (metonymic, usually in the plural) The stringed instruments as a section of an orchestra, especially those played by a bow, or the persons playing those instruments.
        Synonym: string section
        The strings were wonderful in last night's performance.
    6. (golf) A player's handicap in string game golf, providing an advantage in the form of the string, twine, rope, etc., used to measure that handicap.
      • 1997, National Golf Foundation, Tournaments and Events: Organization and Management‎[3], page 67:
        If a player uses, say, 10 inches of string to move from rough to fairway, those 10 inches are then cut from her allotment and disposed of. Players must maximize their string by using it judiciously.
    7. (archaic) A fibre, as of a plant; a little fibrous root.
      • 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC:
        Duckweed putteth forth a little string into the water, from the bottom.
    8. (archaic) A nerve or tendon of an animal body.
      Hyponym: hamstring
  4. (countable) A thread or cord on which a number of objects are strung or arranged in close and orderly succession; a line of things similarly strung together.
    a string of pearls, shells or beads
    a string of sausages
    Hyponym: leatherbritches
    Near-synonym: chain (A series of interconnected rings or links usually made of metal.)
    1. (historical, billiards) The buttons strung on a wire by which the score is kept in a game of billiards.
      1. (billiards, by extension) The points made in a game of billiards.
    2. (by extension) A series of items or events; items arranged in a line; a trend; a sequence of words, letters, sounds, etc.
      Near-synonyms: chain (A series of interconnected things.), streak (A continuous series of like events.)
      Synonyms: sequence, series, succession
      The string of houses at the end of Motter Avenue are having a block party.
      The war was ended by a catastrophic string of battles on the northern front.
      The string of cars stretched as far as I could see.
      Her string of bad luck seemed likely to continue.
      He let out a string of profanities. That acronym is a string of letters. She heard a string of applause from the audience, amid a few strings of laughter.
      1. (shooting) A series of gunshots comprising a sequence in a practical shooting event.
        • 2023 January 19, The Outlaw Travis James, “Cowboy Action Shooting Categories”, in Action Shooting Network‎[4]:
          This is a category where I have seen some different variations. Down in Florida, they shoot this category using four pistols and a shotgun. They will replace the rifle string with another pistol string. This makes that string much more challenging because of the farther rifle targets being engaged with pistols.
      3. (programming) An ordered sequence of text characters stored consecutively in memory and capable of being processed as a single entity.
      4. (law) A string citation.
        • 2003, John Phelps Warnock, Harold C. Warnock, Effective Writing: A Handbook with Stories for Lawyers‎[5], Parlor Press LLC, page 92:
          If none of the cases in a string is controlling, cite the first case and the most recent one, or the first case and the case in the string that is most like the one you are trying.
  5. Senses relating to string-like items
    1. (countable) A cohesive substance taking the form of a string.
      The dish was garnished with zucchini strings.
      The string of spittle dangling from his chin was most unattractive
    2. (countable, uncountable) A stretchy or gooey length of melted cheese; the stringiness quality of producing such strings of cheese.
      Near-synonyms: cheese pull, stringiness
      • 2025 May 12, A.V. Swaminathan, S.K. Lillevang, S. Govindasamy-Lucey, J.J. Jaeggi, M.E. Johnson, J.A. Lucey, “Low-moisture part-skim mozzarella made from milk with varying casein contents”, in Journal of Dairy Science‎[6], volume 108, number 7, July 2025, pages 6771-6787:
        The curds milled at pH 5.40 had a tough, firm texture with nice strings and squeaky chew as compared with curds milled at pH 5.10 that were much softer, flowed easily out of the cooker-stretcher, melted completely, and had a tear with no strings. The curds in the cheese made from milk with 5.5% CN were the toughest and firmest of all cheeses with a mealy texture when milled at pH 5.40 whereas at pH 5.10, the curd had good string but with tough, chewy, and squeaky texture.
    3. (countable) A slightly elevated (long, thin) peat ridge in a bog.
      Synonym: kermi
      Coordinate term: flark
      • 1987, Paul H. Glaser, The Ecology of Patterned Boreal Peatlands of Northern Minnesota: A Community Profile, page 51:
        Strings and Flarks[:] The two most conspicuous land form patterns in water tracks are fields of tree islands and networks of strings and flarks. The origin of strings and flarks is a controversial subject that has been treated extensively […]
      • 1993, Shatrughna Prasad Sinha, Instant encyclopaedia of geography, Mittal Publications, →ISBN, page 335:
        […] strings and flarks are again aligned along the contours, but the flarks are much wider and are often drier. Where the flarks are flooded they are curiously reminiscent of a system of terraced paddy fields  […]
      • 2009 July 15, Vaclav Cilek, Earth System: History and Natural Variability - Volume III, EOLSS Publications, →ISBN, page 199:
        […] strings and flarks is scarcely noticeable and it is the intermediate level (relative to the water table) between the higher, drier strings, and the low, wet flarks, which dominates. Such mires have an almost continuous cover of sedges […]
    4. (countable, billiards, pool) The line from behind and over which the cue ball must be played after being out of play, as by being pocketed or knocked off the table.
      Synonyms: baulk line, string line
      1. (countable, billiards) A part of the game of billiards, in which the order of play is determined by testing who can get a ball closest to the bottom rail by shooting it onto the end rail.
        Synonym: lagging
    5. (countable, mining) A small, filamentous ramification of a metallic vein.
      • 1833, Thomas Sopwith, An Account of the Mining Districts of Alston Moor, Weardale […] :
        a single miner is often found pursuing his solitary labours at a string or thin vein of ore
    6. (countable, physics) A tiny one-dimensional string-like entity, the main object of study in string theory, a branch of theoretical physics.
  6. (countable) Senses related to a number of items acting within a specific context
    1. (loosely) Any grouping of companies, institutions, etc.
      He owned a string of pizza restaurants throughout the region.
      The US operates a string of military bases in countries throughout the world.
    2. In various games and competitions, a certain number of turns at play, of rounds, etc.
      1. (bowling) A complete game of ten frames.
        Synonym: line
      2. (baseball, used in phrases with out) The series of three balls and two strikes which comprise an almost full opportunity for a batter, meaning that the next pitch will be decisive.
        The batter should play out the string. The pitcher should run out the string.
        This pitch will be key, because the string is out.
    3. (collective, sports) The members of a sports team or squad in terms of whether they are likely to play first or as backups, etc.
      first string; second string; third string
    4. (collective, equestrianism) A group of horses kept for working purposes by one owner; a group of racehorses kept by one owner or at one stable.
      • 2011, Buck Horn, A Big String - Stories about Horses, Round-Ups and Characters I Have Known‎[7]:
        My string usually consisted of six to eight head and occasionally more, mostly young horses, with one or two good broke six or seven year olds.
      • 1911 October 17, The Shadow and Show Horse Chronicle‎[8], volume 1, Lexington, Kentucky: The Chronicle Publishing Group:
        The Ball Brothers' string of horses came in early from Plattsburg, where they were exhibited last week. This noted string of show horses from the Ball stables at Versailles, Ky., is one of the big features of the horse show.
      • 1899, A. Conan Doyle, “A Shadow Before”, in The Windsor Magazine‎[9], page 53:
        "That's Flynn of Kildare," said Dodds's informant. "Jack Flynn has brought down that string of horses, and the other large string over yonder belongs to Tom Flynn, his brother. The two of them together are the two first breeders in Ireland."
    5. (collective, slang) Synonym of stable (“group of prostitutes managed by one pimp”).
      • 2006, Steve Niles, Jeff Mariotte, 30 Days of Night: Rumors of the Undead, page 307:
        They were turning tricks, doing drugs, and generally little better off than they had been before, except that they were keeping more of their money. But they seemed lonely, too, without the company of their pimp and the rest of his string.
    6. (collective) A group of animals of any kind, generally moving in a line (as in camels), spread out laterally or a sequential series (as in ducks or geese taking flight).
      A string of goats dotted the path up the mountainside.
      The string of bison strolled along the river.
      I heard a string of mallards taking flight one by one.
      • 2018, James P. Ronda, Visions of the Tallgrass: Prairie Photographs by Harvey Payne‎[10], University of Oklahoma Press:
        A great sea of rain clouds hovers over a string of bison.
        An accompanying picture shows bison in a rough line.
      • 1906, John Walter Gregory, The Dead Heart of Australia: A Journey Around Lake Eyre in the Summer of 1901-1902, with Some Account of the Lake Eyre Basin and the Flowing Wells of Central Australia‎[11], J. Murray, page 43:
        It is reported in Central Australia that the camels there have acquired a taste for barbed wire, and that a string of camels can be tempted up a difficult hill by dangling a coil of barbed wire in front of them.
      • 1923, James S. Verner, “The Lame Duck, the Alligator and Bill”, in The Libertarian‎[12], volume 3, page 561:
        we heard a number of shots, and, looking up, saw a string of ducks rise from the water and fly off towards the head of the pond
  7. (countable) Senses related to planks or strips.
    1. A strip, as of leather, by which the covers of a book are held together.
    2. (carpentry) A board supporting steps.
      Synonyms: stringer, stringboard, stringpiece
    3. (shipbuilding) An inside range of ceiling planks, corresponding to the sheer strake on the outside and bolted to it.
    4. (architecture, masonry) A stringcourse.
  8. (slang) Cannabis or marijuana. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
  9. (figurative, dated, slang) A hoax; a fake story.
  10. (oil industry) A column of drill pipe that transmits drilling fluid (using the mud pumps) and torque (using the kelly drive or top drive) to the drill bit.
Hyponyms
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Derived terms
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Descendants
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  • Tok Pisin: string
  • → Dutch: string
  • → Finnish: stringit
  • → French: string
  • → German: String
  • → Hebrew: מחרוזת / מַחְרֹזֶת (makhrózet) (semantic loan)
  • → Japanese: ストリング (sutoringu)
  • → Norwegian Bokmål: streng (semantic loan)
  • → Norwegian Nynorsk: streng (semantic loan)
  • → Polish: stringi
  • → Portuguese: estrém; string
  • → Swedish: string
Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Etymology 2

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From Middle English stryngen, strengen, from the noun (see above).

Verb

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string (third-person singular simple present strings, present participle stringing, simple past strung or (colloquial) stringed or strang, past participle strung or (colloquial) stringed)

  1. (transitive) To put (items) on a string.
    You can string these beads on to this cord to make a colorful necklace.
  2. (transitive) To put strings on (something).
    It is difficult to string a tennis racket properly.
  3. (intransitive) To form into a string or strings, as a substance which is stretched, or people who are moving along, etc.
  4. (intransitive, billiards) To drive the ball against the end of the table and back, in order to determine which player is to open the game.
  5. (birdwatching) To deliberately state that a certain bird is present when it is not; to knowingly mislead other birders about the occurrence of a bird, especially a rarity; to misidentify a common bird as a rare species.
    • 1980, Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book, page 81:
      To be honest, you'd be better off trying to string a Skylark as a Richard's Pipit rather than as a Pectoral Sandpiper.
    • 2005, Sean Dooley, The Big Twitch, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 67:
      For instance he might see a White-eared Honeyeater, a not uncommon bird in the heathy areas at Bunyip, but in his excitement to call it, something in his brain scrambled and came out as: `White-cheeked Honeyeater!' White-cheeked Honeyeater is an absolute stonking crippler in Victoria, but Stu was not actually trying to string a rarity, he'd just got such a flood of new information swirling around his brain that sometimes it got jumbled up.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Further reading

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Dutch

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English string. The sense "G-string" is a pseudo-anglicism.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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string m (plural strings, diminutive stringetje n)

  1. (clothing) G-string, thong
  2. (computing) character string

Synonyms

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French

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Etymology

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Pseudo-anglicism, derived from string.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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string m (plural strings)

  1. G-string, thong, tanga

Portuguese

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Etymology

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    Unadapted borrowing from English string. Doublet of estrém.

    Pronunciation

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    • (Brazil) IPA(key): /isˈtɾĩɡ/, /esˈtɾĩɡ/, /isˈtɾĩ.ɡi/, /esˈtɾĩ.ɡi/

    Noun

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    string m or f (plural strings)

    1. (computing) string (sequence of consecutive text characters)
      Synonyms: cadeia, cadeia de caracteres

    Swedish

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    Etymology

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    Pseudo-anglicism, derived from string.

    Noun

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    string c

    1. G-string, thong

    Declension

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    Declension of string
    nominative genitive
    singular indefinite string strings
    definite stringen stringens
    plural indefinite stringar stringars
    definite stringarna stringarnas

    Derived terms

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    References

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    Anagrams

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    Tok Pisin

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    Etymology

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    From English string.

    Noun

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    string

    1. string; cord
    Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=string&oldid=92115975"
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