# stranded

/ˈstɹændɪd/ (US) · /stɹˈændɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/stranded
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. stuck or left behind

adjective · CEFR B2

unable to leave a place because you have no transport or money.

For teachers: left in a helpless or difficult position without the means to depart.

- The heavy snowstorm left hundreds of travelers stranded at the airport overnight.
- When the last ferry was cancelled due to the gale, several commuters found themselves stranded on the island with no available hotel rooms.

### 2. run aground

adjective · CEFR B2

when a boat or sea animal is stuck on the shore or a reef.

For teachers: driven or left aground on a shore, reef, or shallow area.

- The rescue team worked quickly to help the stranded whale back into the deep water.
- The cargo ship remained stranded on the sandbar for three days until a high enough tide allowed tugboats to pull it free.

### 3. linguistics

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

a word that is left alone at the end of a sentence because its partner word moved.

For teachers: describing a constituent, such as a preposition, that remains in its original position after its complement has moved.

- In the sentence 'Who did you go with?', the word 'with' is stranded.
- Prescriptive grammarians often argue against stranded prepositions, despite their ubiquity in natural English speech and informal writing.

Usage: Commonly refers to 'preposition stranding' in English syntax.

### 4. made of fibers

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

made by twisting many thin wires or threads together.

For teachers: composed of multiple individual filaments or wires twisted or braided into a single unit.

- Stranded copper wire is more flexible than a single solid core.
- The engineer specified stranded cable for the robotic arm to ensure it could withstand repeated bending without snapping.

## Examples

- The heavy snow left hundreds of travelers stranded at the airport.
- When the last bus of the night failed to arrive, we were stranded in the middle of the city.
- The documentary follows a group of researchers stranded on a remote island after their research vessel suffered a catastrophic engine failure during a storm.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.