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English Words Starting With S

15,552 entries — pick a word to see its definition, pronunciation, and usage.

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Noun Verb Adjective Adverb Plural noun Combining form Verb (transitive)Verb (intransitive)Verb (ambitransitive)

straining sill
nounRare (technical term)
/ˈstreɪnɪŋ sɪl/A structural component, typically in hydraulics or construction, designed to strain or filter fluids while serving as a sill or base.
strait
adjectivenounC1
/streɪt/a narrow passage of water connecting two larger bodies of water
strait-lace
verb-transitiveLow
/ˌstreɪt ˈleɪst/Excessively strict in matters of morality, behavior, or appearance; rigidly conventional.
straiten
verbverb-transitiveLow
/ˈstreɪt(ə)n/To make something narrower or more restricted; to cause difficulty or distress, especially financially.
straitened
adjectiveverbLow
/ˈstreɪt(ə)nd/Experiencing or marked by financial difficulty or restricted resources.
straitjacket
nounverbverb-transitiveC1
/ˈstreɪtdʒækɪt/A strong garment, like a jacket with long sleeves that can be tied behind the back, used to restrain a violent or mentally unstable person.
straits dollar
nounLow/Obsolete
/streɪts ˈdɒlə/A historical silver coin and currency unit used in the British Straits Settlements (Singapore, Penang, Malacca) between 1904 and 1939.
straits settlements
nounplural-nounLow
/streɪts ˈsɛtlmənts/A former British colonial administrative grouping consisting of three territories in Southeast Asia: Penang, Malacca, and Singapore.
strake
nounLow
/streɪk/A continuous line of planking or plating along a vessel's hull.
stralsund
nounVery low (proper noun, geographically specific)
/ˈʃtrɑːlzʊnd/A historic city and seaport in northeastern Germany, located on the Strelasund strait of the Baltic Sea.
stramash
nounverbVery Low / Obscure
/strəˈmaʃ/A disturbance, commotion, or brawl; a noisy tumult.
stramonium
nounC2
/strəˈməʊnɪəm/A toxic plant (Datura stramonium), also known as jimsonweed or thorn apple, characterized by large, trumpet-shaped flowers and spiny seed capsules.
strand
nounverbverb-intransitive+1B2
/strænd/A single thin length of material (such as thread, wire, or hair); to leave someone or something in a helpless or difficult situation without means to depart.
strand line
nounC1
/strænd laɪn/The line of debris (seaweed, driftwood, etc.) deposited along a shore by the high tide.
strand wolf
nounRare/Very Low
/ˈstrænd ˌwʊlf/The brown hyena (Hyaena brunnea), a carnivorous mammal native to coastal regions of southern Africa, also known as the beach wolf.
strandloper
nounVery Low / Archaic
/ˈstrændˌləʊpə/A beachcomber; literally 'someone who walks along the strand (shore)'.
strandwolf
nounVery Low
/ˈstrændˌwʊlf/A mammal native to southwestern Africa, also known as the brown hyena.
strange attractor
nounC2 (Very low frequency, highly specialized)
/streɪndʒ əˈtræk.tər/In chaos theory, a complex, non-repeating pattern in phase space that a chaotic system tends towards over time, despite its sensitivity to initial conditions.
strange interlude
nounLow
/streɪndʒ ˈɪn.tə.luːd/The title of a 1928 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Eugene O'Neill, characterized by its experimental form.
strange loop
nounLow
/streɪndʒ luːp/A self-referential or recursive structure that leads back to itself in a non-trivial way, often creating paradoxes or unexpected behavior.

Showing 12681–12700 of 15552 words.