string
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.a thin, strong thread or cord used for tying, hanging, or fastening things.
n.a thin, flexible structure composed of twisted fibres used for binding or suspension.
Simple“He tied the brown paper parcel with a piece of thick garden string.”
In context“The package was secured with several loops of heavy-duty string to ensure it wouldn't burst open during international transit.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
n.a number of similar things or events that happen one after another.
n.a sequence of similar items, events, or people arranged or occurring in succession.
Simple“The team celebrated after a string of five victories in a row.”
In context“The company suffered a string of financial setbacks that eventually forced the board to reconsider its expansion strategy.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the section of an orchestra that includes violins, cellos, and similar instruments.
n.the section of an orchestra comprising instruments with strings played by a bow or plucked.
Simple“The strings played a beautiful melody while the rest of the orchestra was silent.”
In context“The composer wrote a lush arrangement for the strings, highlighting the rich textures of the cellos and double basses.”
Synonymsstring sectionAntonyms - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.special conditions or rules that are part of an agreement.
n.limiting conditions or provisos attached to an offer or agreement; usually plural.
Simple“The scholarship was offered with no strings attached, so she could study anywhere.”
In context“The government provided the emergency loan with several strings attached, including a requirement for immediate structural reform.”
Synonyms - 05 C1 Advanced
n.a sequence of characters, like letters or numbers, treated as a single piece of data.
n.a finite sequence of characters that is treated as a data type in computer programming.
Simple“The program crashed because the input string was too long for the memory.”
In context“The function is designed to parse the input string and extract the numerical values for further processing.”
- 06 C2 Proficiency
n.a tiny, one-dimensional object that some scientists believe is the basic building block of the universe.
n.a hypothetical one-dimensional object whose vibration patterns represent different elementary particles.
Simple“String theory suggests that everything in the universe is made of tiny vibrating strings.”
In context“Theoretical physicists continue to debate whether these fundamental strings can ever be observed through experimental means.”
- 07 B1 Intermediate
v.to put things like beads or lights onto a piece of string or wire.
v.to thread objects onto a string or to arrange them in a line as if on a string.
Simple“The children spent the afternoon stringing colourful beads to make necklaces.”
In context“The workers were busy stringing festive lights across the main square in preparation for the winter festival.”
- 08 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to put new strings on a musical instrument or a sports racket.
v.to fit an instrument or sports equipment with the necessary strings for use.
Simple“I need to have my tennis racket re-strung before the tournament starts.”
In context“The luthier carefully strung the violin, ensuring the tension was perfectly balanced across the bridge.”
Antonymsunstring
From Middle English string, streng, strynge, from Old English strenġ, from Proto-West Germanic strangi, from Proto-Germanic strangiz (“string”), from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- (“rope, cord, strand; to tighten”). Cognate with Scots string (“string”), Dutch streng (“cord, strand”), Low German strenge (“strand, cord, rope”), German Strang (“strand, cord, rope”), Danish streng (“string”), Swedish sträng (“string, cord, wire”), Icelandic strengur (“string”), Latvian stringt (“to be tight, wither”), Latin stringō (“I tighten”), Ancient Greek στραγγαλόομαι (strangalóomai, “to strangle”), from στραγγάλη (strangálē, “halter”), Ancient Greek στραγγός (strangós, “tied together, entangled, twisted”).
From Middle English stryngen, strengen, from the noun (see above).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.