noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   plural of string form-of, plural
2. 2
   Collectively, the stringed instruments in an orchestra. plural, plural-only
3. 3
   (usually plural) a statement of what is required as part of an agreement wordnet
4. 4
   Conditions, especially undesirable ones. figuratively, plural, plural-only

   "It looks like a good offer, but there are strings attached."

5. 5
   the section of an orchestra that plays stringed instruments wordnet

Verb

1. 1
   third-person singular simple present indicative of string form-of, indicative, present, singular, third-person

Synonyms

All synonyms

authoritybackstairs influencebandbig bandbrassbrass band

Example

More examples

"My wife holds the purse strings in our family."

Related phrases

stringed instrument

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.