What does "strong" mean?
Capable of producing great physical force.
Strong
/stɹæŋ/ adj, adv, name, slang
adj, adv, name, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Capable of producing great physical force.
- Grammar: strong is listed as adj, adv, name, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: potent, able, able-bodied, accented.
- Useful contrasts: light, powerless, rickety.
- Usage evidence: The bridge couldn't sustain the force of the strong current and collapsed.
How to use "strong"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "strong" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- 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 "strong" 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 "strong" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "strong" 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 "strong" is acting as adj, adv, name, 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 "potent" 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 "strong", 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
Adjective
- 1 Capable of producing great physical force.
"a big strong man; Jake was tall and strong"
- 2 Capable of withstanding great physical force.
"a strong foundation; good strong shoes"
- 3 Possessing power, might, or strength. broadly
"A wise man is strong, yea a man of knowledge encreaseth strength."
- 4 Determined; unyielding.
"The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers."
- 5 Highly stimulating to the senses.
"a strong light; a strong taste"
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 Having an offensive or intense odor or flavor.
"a strong smell"
- 7 Having a high concentration of an essential or active ingredient.
"a strong cup of coffee; a strong medicine"
- 8 Having a high alcoholic content. specifically
"a strong drink"
- 9 Inflecting in a different manner than the one called weak, such as Germanic verbs which change vowels.
"a strong verb"
- 10 That completely ionizes into anions and cations in a solution.
"a strong acid; a strong base"
- 11 Not easily subdued or taken.
"a strong position"
- 12 Having wealth or resources.
"a strong economy"
- 13 Impressive, good. US, slang
"You're working with troubled youth in your off time? That’s strong!"
- 14 Having a specified number of people or units.
"The enemy's army force was five thousand strong."
- 15 Severe; very bad or intense.
"Physicians may diagnosis influenza by a throat culture or blood test, which may be important if you have a particularly strong flu, if your doctor suspects pneumonia or a bacterial infection."
- 16 Having a wide range of logical consequences; widely applicable. (Often contrasted with a weak statement which it implies.)
- 17 Convincing.
"[…] but grounding him ſelfe vpon ſtrong reaſons, to wit, that he had not offended the Iewes, neither yet the Law, but that he was innocēt, and therefore that no iudge oght to geue hym in the hādes of his ennemies […]"
Adjective
- 1 strong and sure wordnet
- 2 freshly made or left wordnet
- 3 being distilled rather than fermented; having a high alcoholic content wordnet
- 4 not faint or feeble wordnet
- 5 having a strong physiological or chemical effect wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 having or wielding force or authority wordnet
- 7 of verbs not having standard (or regular) inflection wordnet
- 8 of good quality and condition; solidly built wordnet
- 9 having strength or power greater than average or expected wordnet
- 10 immune to attack; incapable of being tampered with wordnet
Adverb
- 1 In a strong manner. not-comparable
"As a salesperson I always come on strong."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A number of places in the United States:; A minor city in Union County, Arkansas.
- 3 A number of places in the United States:; A township in Chase County, Kansas.
- 4 A number of places in the United States:; A town in Franklin County, Maine.
- 5 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Monroe County, Mississippi.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A number of places in the United States:; A census-designated place in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.
- 7 A township and community therein, in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada.
Example
"The bridge couldn't sustain the force of the strong current and collapsed."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "strong"?
Common synonyms include: potent, able, able-bodied, accented, acid, acrid.
How do you use "strong" in a sentence?
The bridge couldn't sustain the force of the strong current and collapsed.
How do you pronounce "strong"?
Pronounced /stɹæŋ/.
Etymology
From Middle English strong, strang, from Old English strang (“strong”), from Proto-West Germanic *strang (“severe, strict, rigorous, strong”), from Proto-Germanic *strangaz (“tight, strict, straight, strong”), from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- (“taut, stiff, tight”). Cognate with Scots strang (“strong”), Saterland Frisian strang, West Frisian string (“austere, strict, harsh, severe, stern, stark, tough”), Dutch streng (“strict, severe, tight”), German streng (“strict, severe, austere”), Danish and Norwegian streng (“strong, hard”), Faroese and Icelandic strangur (“strict”), Norwegian strang (“strong, harsh, bitter”), Swedish sträng, strang (“severe, strict, harsh”), Latin stringō (“tighten”). Doublet of strict and string.