a single stalk or stem, especially of certain species of grain, chiefly wheat, rye, oats, and barley.
a mass of such stalks, especially after drying and threshing, used as fodder.
material, fibers, etc., made from such stalks, as used for making hats or baskets.
the negligible value of one such stalk; trifle; least bit: not to care a straw.
a tube, usually of paper or glass, for sucking up a beverage from a container: to sip lemonade through a straw.
anything of possible but dubious help in a desperate circumstance.
straw man (def. 2).
a straw hat.
adjective
of, pertaining to, containing, or made of straw: a straw hat.
of the color of straw; pale yellow.
of little value or consequence; worthless.
sham; fictitious.
Idioms for straw
catch / clutch / grasp at a straw / straws / any straw(s), to seize at any chance, no matter how slight, of saving oneself from calamity.
draw straws, to decide by lottery using straws or strawlike items of different lengths, usually with the short straw or straws determining the person chosen or the loser.
Origin of straw
before 950; Middle English; Old English strēaw; cognate with German Stroh; akin to strew
When you pick up a 50-piece container of these tamarind- or chamoy-flavored chile-dipped straws, no one knows if you’re having a kid’s birthday party or selling micheladas in your backyard in East LA.
The Ultimate Guide to Mexican Snacks|Bill Esparza|September 17, 2020|Eater
This year’s inability to turn big ideas into big returns may be the last straw for some investors after nearly a decade of low-single-digit gains coupled with high fees.
The losses continue to pile up for hedge fund king Ray Dalio|Bernhard Warner|September 15, 2020|Fortune
The built-in straw stays in place better than other bottles I’ve tried, and the water stays cold for more than 24 hours.
The best things I bought in August|Rachel Schallom|August 30, 2020|Fortune
This fact, Wood said, demonstrates that the developer was not a straw entity, as some have suggested.
How the City Came to Lease a Lemon|Lisa Halverstadt and Jesse Marx|August 10, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Exactly one month after the first straw goat was erected in Gävle, it was mysteriously burned to a crisp.
I thanked him, sat down on the sofa, and sipped it through the straw.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hana seeks refuge from the buzzing lights of Otome Road in a nearby café and makes another swirl with her straw.
The Japanese Women Who Love Gay Anime|Brandon Presser|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She slowly moves her straw through the whipped cream in her designer latte and looks up.
The Japanese Women Who Love Gay Anime|Brandon Presser|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A Saudi Arabian television ad for Viagra shows a man struggling to push a straw through the lid of his beverage.
Laughter Will Be the Legacy of Viagra|Samantha Allen|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I belong so much to the stunned sleepers in the straw who cannot feel.
A Journal of Impressions in Belgium|May Sinclair
Another method of keeping the straw in place is by stretching binder twine directly over the row.
The Gladiolus|Matthew Crawford
Susan took her horse there; loosened his girths, and rubbed him down with a wisp of straw.
Half a Life-time Ago|Elizabeth Gaskell
Color flew into her thin cheeks, and the eyes that stared at Hazel's straw tam-o'-shanter grew dim.
Jewel's Story Book|Clara Louise Burnham
A bundle of straw, tied with a rope, is brought into the courtyard and left to stand there near the Yule logs.
Balder The Beautiful, Vol. I.|Sir James George Frazer
British Dictionary definitions for straw (1 of 3)
straw1
/ (strɔː) /
noun
stalks of threshed grain, esp of wheat, rye, oats, or barley, used in plaiting hats, baskets, etc, or as fodder
(as modifier)a straw hat
a single dry or ripened stalk, esp of a grass
a long thin hollow paper or plastic tube or stem of a plant, used for sucking up liquids into the mouth
(usually used with a negative)anything of little value or importanceI wouldn't give a straw for our chances
a measure or remedy that one turns to in desperation (esp in the phrases clutchorgrasp at a straworstraws)
a pale yellow colour
(as adjective)straw hair
straw in the winda hint or indication
the last strawa small incident, setback, etc that, coming after others, proves intolerable
adjective
mainlyUShaving little value or substance
See also man of straw
Derived forms of straw
strawlike, adjective
Word Origin for straw
Old English streaw; related to Old Norse strā, Old Frisian strē, Old High German strō; see strew
British Dictionary definitions for straw (2 of 3)
straw2
/ (strɔː) /
verb
archaic another word for strew
British Dictionary definitions for straw (3 of 3)
Straw
/ (strɔː) /
noun
Jack, full name John Whitaker Straw. born 1946, British Labour politician; Home Secretary (1997–2001); Foreign Secretary (2001–06); Lord Chancellor (2007–10)