9 → see also highly strung , purse strings , second string , strung out
10 PHRASE If something is offered to you with no strings attached or with no strings , it is offered without any special conditions. □ Aid should be given to developing countries with no strings attached. □ …no-strings grants that last for five years.
11 PHRASE If you pull strings , you use your influence with other people in order to get something done, often unfairly.
▸ string along PHRASAL VERB If you string someone along , you deceive them by letting them believe you have the same desires, beliefs, or hopes as them. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n P ] The longer you string him along, the more hurt he will be when you dump him.
▸ string together PHRASAL VERB If you string things together , you form something from them by adding them to each other, one at a time. □ [V n P ] As speech develops, the child starts to string more words together. □ [V P n] The speaker strung together a series of jokes.
▸ string up PHRASAL VERB To string someone up means to kill them by hanging them. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n P ] Guards rushed into his cell and strung him up. [Also V P n]
stri ng bea n (string beans )
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] String beans are long, very narrow green vegetables consisting of the cases that contain the seeds of a climbing plant. [AM ] in BRIT, use French beans 2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] String beans are vegetables similar to French beans, but thicker. [BRIT ]
stri nged i n|stru|ment (stringed instruments ) N‑COUNT A stringed instrument is a musical instrument that has strings, such as a violin or a guitar.
strin|gent /str I ndʒ ə nt/ ADJ Stringent laws, rules, or conditions are very severe or are strictly controlled. [FORMAL ] □ He announced that there would be more stringent controls on the possession of weapons. □ Its drug-testing procedures are the most stringent in the world. ● strin|gent|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ He is determined to see the Act enforced more stringently. Stringent financial conditions are difficult and strictly controlled because there is not much money. [FORMAL ] □ More stringent financial regulations were approved and introduced in September. ● strin|gen|cy N‑UNCOUNT □ …times of financial stringency
string|er /str I ŋə r / (stringers ) N‑COUNT A stringer is a journalist who is employed part-time by a newspaper or news service in order to report on a particular area. [JOURNALISM ] □ He picked up extra money as a local stringer for the New York Herald.
stri ng quar|te t (string quartets )
1 N‑COUNT A string quartet is a group of four musicians who play stringed instruments together. The instruments are two violins, a viola, and a cello. □ …a recital by the Borodin String Quartet.
2 N‑COUNT A string quartet is a piece of music played on two violins, a viola, and a cello. □ …Dvorak's String Quartet Opus 34.
stringy /str I ŋi/ (stringier , stringiest ) ADJ Stringy food contains long, thin pieces that are difficult or unpleasant to eat. □ The meat was stringy.
strip ◆◇◇ /str I p/ (strips , stripping , stripped )
1 N‑COUNT A strip of something such as paper, cloth, or food is a long, narrow piece of it. □ [+ of ] …a new kind of manufactured wood made by pressing strips of wood together and baking them. □ [+ of ] Serve dish with strips of fresh raw vegetables.
2 N‑COUNT A strip of land or water is a long narrow area of it. □ [+ of ] The coastal cities of Liguria sit on narrow strips of land lying under steep mountains. □ [+ of ] …a short boat ride across a narrow strip of water.
3 N‑COUNT A strip is a long street in a city or town, where there are a lot of stores, restaurants, and hotels. [AM ] □ She owns a hotel-restaurant in the commercial strip on the mainland.
4 VERB If you strip , you take off your clothes. □ [V ] They stripped completely, and lay in the damp grass. □ [V adj] Women residents stripped naked in protest. ● PHRASAL VERB Strip off means the same as strip . □ [V P ] The children were brazenly stripping off and leaping into the sea.
5 VERB [usu passive] If someone is stripped , their clothes are taken off by another person, for example in order to search for hidden or illegal things. □ [be V -ed] One prisoner claimed he'd been dragged to a cell, stripped and beaten.
6 → see also strip-search
7 VERB To strip something means to remove everything that covers it. □ [V n] After Mike left for work I stripped the beds and vacuumed the carpets. □ [be V -ed] The floorboards in both this room and the dining room have been stripped, sanded and sealed.
8 VERB If you strip an engine or a piece of equipment, you take it to pieces so that it can be cleaned or repaired. □ [V n] Volvo's three-man team stripped the car and restored it. ● PHRASAL VERB Strip down means the same as strip . □ [V n P ] In five years I had to strip the water pump down four times. □ [V P n] I stripped down the carburettors, cleaned and polished the pieces and rebuilt the units.
9 VERB To strip someone of their property, rights, or titles means to take those things away from them. □ [be V -ed + of ] A senior official was stripped of all his privileges for publicly criticising his employer. [Also V n + of ]
10 N‑COUNT In a newspaper or magazine, a strip is a series of drawings which tell a story. The words spoken by the characters are often written on the drawings. [AM ] □ …the Doonesbury strip.