String

/stɹɪŋ/ noun, verb, slang

noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A long, thin and flexible structure made from threads twisted together.
  • Grammar: string is listed as noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: twine, a string, age group, agree.
  • Useful contrasts: unstrung, be honest, char.
  • Usage evidence: Lend me something with which to cut the string.

How to use "string"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "string" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "string" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "string" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "string" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "string" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "twine" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "string", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A long, thin and flexible structure made from threads twisted together. countable, uncountable

    "Round Ormond's knee thou tiest the mystic string."

  2. 2
    stringed instruments that are played with a bow wordnet
  3. 3
    Any similar long, thin and flexible object.; A segment of wire (typically made of plastic or metal) or other material used as vibrating element on a musical instrument. countable, uncountable

    "a violin string"

  4. 4
    a necklace made by stringing objects together wordnet
  5. 5
    Any similar long, thin and flexible object.; A length of nylon or other material on the head of a racquet. countable, uncountable
Show 36 more definitions
  1. 6
    a tie consisting of a cord that goes through a seam around an opening wordnet
  2. 7
    A thread or cord on which a number of objects or parts are strung or arranged in close and orderly succession; hence, a line or series of things arranged on a thread, or as if so arranged. countable, uncountable

    "a string of shells or beads"

  3. 8
    a lightweight cord wordnet
  4. 9
    A cohesive substance taking the form of a string. countable

    "The string of spittle dangling from his chin was most unattractive"

  5. 10
    a tightly stretched cord of wire or gut, as a part of an instrument or a tennis racket wordnet
  6. 11
    A series of items or events. countable

    "In 1933, disgusted and discouraged after a string of commercial failures, Clara quit the film business forever. She was twenty-six."

  7. 12
    a collection of things threaded on a single strand, or as if threaded on a single strand wordnet
  8. 13
    A slightly elevated (long, thin) peat ridge in a bog. countable, uncountable

    "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[…]"

  9. 14
    a linear sequence (as of characters, words, proteins, etc.) wordnet
  10. 15
    The members of a sports team or squad regarded as most likely to achieve success. (Perhaps metaphorical as the "strings" that hold the squad together.) Often first string, second string etc. countable
  11. 16
    a sequentially ordered set of things or events or ideas in which each successive member is related to the preceding wordnet
  12. 17
    In various games and competitions, a certain number of turns at play, of rounds, etc. countable
  13. 18
    (cosmology) a hypothetical one-dimensional subatomic particle having a concentration of energy and the dynamic properties of a flexible loop wordnet
  14. 19
    A drove of horses, or a group of racehorses kept by one owner or at one stable. collective, countable, uncountable
  15. 20
    a tough piece of fiber in vegetables, meat, or other food (especially the tough fibers connecting the two halves of a bean pod) wordnet
  16. 21
    An ordered sequence of text characters stored consecutively in memory and capable of being processed as a single entity. countable
  17. 22
    A stringed instrument. countable, metonymically
  18. 23
    The stringed instruments as a section of an orchestra, especially those played by a bow, or the persons playing those instruments. countable, plural-normally, uncountable
  19. 24
    The conditions and limitations in a contract collectively. countable, figuratively, in-plural, uncountable

    "no strings attached"

  20. 25
    A tiny one-dimensional string-like entity, the main object of study in string theory, a branch of theoretical physics. countable
  21. 26
    Cannabis or marijuana. countable, slang, uncountable
  22. 27
    Part of the game of billiards, where the order of the play is determined by testing who can get a ball closest to the bottom rail by shooting it onto the end rail. countable, uncountable
  23. 28
    The buttons strung on a wire by which the score is kept. countable, historical, uncountable
  24. 29
    The points made in a game of billiards. broadly, countable, uncountable
  25. 30
    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; also called the string line. countable, uncountable
  26. 31
    A strip, as of leather, by which the covers of a book are held together. countable, uncountable

    "Many of those that pretend to be great Rabbies in these studies have scarce saluted them from the strings, and the titlepage."

  27. 32
    A fibre, as of a plant; a little fibrous root. archaic, countable, uncountable

    "Duckweed putteth forth a little string into the water, from the bottom."

  28. 33
    A nerve or tendon of an animal body. archaic, countable, uncountable

    "The string of his tongue was loosed."

  29. 34
    A board supporting steps countable, uncountable
  30. 35
    An inside range of ceiling planks, corresponding to the sheer strake on the outside and bolted to it. countable, uncountable
  31. 36
    The tough fibrous substance that unites the valves of the pericarp of leguminous plants. countable, uncountable

    "the strings of beans"

  32. 37
    A small, filamentous ramification of a metallic vein. countable, uncountable

    "a single miner is often found pursuing his solitary labours at a string or thin vein of ore"

  33. 38
    A stringcourse. countable, uncountable
  34. 39
    A hoax; a fake story. countable, dated, slang, uncountable
  35. 40
    Synonym of stable (“group of prostitutes managed by one pimp”). countable, slang, uncountable

    "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."

  36. 41
    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. countable, uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    To put (items) on a string. transitive

    "You can string these beads on to this cord to make a colorful necklace."

  2. 2
    add as if on a string wordnet
  3. 3
    To put strings on (something). transitive

    "It is difficult to string a tennis racket properly."

  4. 4
    provide with strings wordnet
  5. 5
    To form into a string or strings, as a substance which is stretched, or people who are moving along, etc. intransitive
Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    thread on or as if on a string wordnet
  2. 7
    To drive the ball against the end of the table and back, in order to determine which player is to open the game. intransitive
  3. 8
    remove the stringy parts of wordnet
  4. 9
    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.

    "To be honest, you'd be better off trying to string a Skylark as a Richard's Pipit rather than as a Pectoral Sandpiper."

  5. 10
    string together; tie or fasten with a string wordnet
  6. 11
    stretch out or arrange like a string wordnet
  7. 12
    move or come along wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
twinea stringage groupagreeamatiarray

Antonyms

unstrungbe honestcharchars

Example

"Lend me something with which to cut the string."

Common questions

What does "string" mean?

A long, thin and flexible structure made from threads twisted together.

What is a synonym for "string"?

Common synonyms include: twine, a string, age group, agree, amati, array.

How do you use "string" in a sentence?

Lend me something with which to cut the string.

How do you pronounce "string"?

Pronounced /stɹɪŋ/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

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 (“I tighten”), Ancient Greek στραγγαλόομαι (strangalóomai, “to strangle”), from στραγγάλη (strangálē, “halter”), Ancient Greek στραγγός (strangós, “tied together, entangled, twisted”).

Etymology 2

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

More for "string"

Synonyms

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