String
/strɪŋ/
Definitions
3 meaningsA slender length of twine, wire, or other flexible material.
/strɪŋ/
A thin, flexible cord.
The cat played with a string.
💡 Simply: Imagine a shoelace or the thing you use to hold a kite in the air. It's a long, thin piece of stuff you can tie things with!
👶 For kids: A long, thin rope or thread.
More Examples
He used a string to tie the balloons together.
The violin has four strings.
How It's Used
"She tied the package with a string."
"The guitar had six strings."
To thread (something) with a string or strings.
/strɪŋ/
To supply or equip with strings.
He stringed the beads onto a thread.
💡 Simply: Like putting the strings on a guitar or putting beads onto a string to make a necklace.
👶 For kids: To put strings on something.
More Examples
She stringed her tennis racket.
The luthier stringed the new lute.
How It's Used
"He stringed the new guitar."
"She stringed her necklace with pearls"
To connect or arrange in a line or series.
/strɪŋ/
To arrange or connect things in a line.
The soldiers stringed a line to keep the crowd back.
💡 Simply: Like linking things together, one after another, like connecting Christmas lights or forming a line.
👶 For kids: To put things in a line.
More Examples
He stringed the lights along the fence.
They stringed the evidence together.
How It's Used
"The police stringed a cordon around the crime scene."
"They stringed together a presentation."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Idioms & expressions
string along
To deceive or mislead someone by making them believe something that is not true.
"He was just stringing her along, he didn't really like her."
no strings attached
Without any conditions or obligations; freely.
"The offer was made with no strings attached."
pull some strings
To use one's influence to get something to happen, often in a way that's hidden or not completely honest.
"He pulled some strings to get his son into the best school."
From Old English *streng*, *strong*, from Proto-Germanic *strangiz* meaning 'strong, stretched'. Related to words like 'strong' and 'strand'.
Historically, 'string' was used as a unit of length, referring to a specific length of thread or cord. It was also used metaphorically in literature to describe relationships and connections.
Memory tip
Think of a guitar's strings – thin and used to make sound.
Word Origin
"Strong, stretched"