streak

noun

/striːk/

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a long, thin mark or line that is a different colour from the surface it is on
- There was a streak of blood on his face.
- She had a few streaks of grey in her black hair.
- The sooty rain left dirty streaks on the window.
- streaks of sunlight
Synonyms mark
mark
- stain
- fingerprint
- streak
- speck
- blot
- smear
- spot
These are all words for a small area of dirt or another substance on a surface.
- mark a small area of dirt, a spot or a cut on a surface that makes it look less good:
  The kids left dirty marks all over the kitchen floor.
- stain a dirty mark on something that is difficult to remove, especially one made by a liquid:
  blood stains
- fingerprint a mark on a surface made by the pattern of lines on the end of a person’s finger, often used by the police to identify criminals:
  Her fingerprints were all over the gun.
- streak a long, thin mark or line that is a different colour from the surface it is on:
  She had streaks of grey in her hair.
- speck a very small mark, spot or piece of a substance on something:
  There isn’t a speck of dust anywhere in the house.
- blot a spot or dirty mark left on something by a substance such as ink or paint being dropped on a surface
- smear a mark made by something such as oil or paint being spread or rubbed on a surface
- spot a small dirty mark on something:
  There were grease spots all over the walls.
Patterns
- a streak/speck/blot/smear/spot of something
- a greasy mark/stain/smear
- an ink mark/stain/blot/spot
- a grease mark/stain/spot
- to leave a mark/stain/fingerprint/streak/speck/blot/smear
Wordfinder
- band
- check
- dot
- fleck
- pattern
- speckle
- splash
- spot
- streak
- stripe
Extra Examples
- The last streaks of light faded from the sky.
- There were dark streaks down her cheeks where she had been crying.
Topics Appearancec1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- dark
- faint
- pale
- …
preposition
- streak of
phrases
- a streak of lightning
- a streak of red, white, etc.
See full entry
a part of a person’s character, especially an unpleasant part
- a ruthless/vicious/mean streak
- a streak of cruelty
Extra Examples
- Holidays in the Australian outback are for those with an adventurous streak.
- Most of the players have a strong competitive streak.
- She suddenly revealed a mean streak in her character.
- There was a streak of eccentricity in the family.
- trips for those with an adventurous streak
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- strong
- hidden
- cruel
- …
verb + streak
- have
- reveal
- show
- …
preposition
- with a streak
- streak of
See full entry
a series of successes or failures, especially in a sport or in gambling
- a streak of good luck
- to hit (= have) a winning streak
- to be on a winning/losing streak
- a lucky/unlucky streak
Wordfinder
- bet
- casino
- chip
- croupier
- gambling
- lottery
- odds
- roulette
- stake
- streak
Extra Examples
- The Yankees continued their six-game winning streak.
- The team has been on a winning streak since it won against Lazio.
Topics Successc2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- hot
- lucky
- unbeaten
- …
verb + streak
- be on
- go on
- continue
- …
See full entry

Word OriginOld English strica, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch streek and German Strich, also to strike. The sense ‘run naked’ was originally US slang.

streak

verb

/striːk/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they streak	/striːk/ /striːk/
he / she / it streaks	/striːks/ /striːks/
past simple streaked	/striːkt/ /striːkt/
past participle streaked	/striːkt/ /striːkt/
-ing form streaking	/ˈstriːkɪŋ/ /ˈstriːkɪŋ/

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[transitive] to mark or cover something with streaks
- streak something Tears streaked her face.
- She's had her hair streaked (= had special chemicals put on her hair so that it has attractive coloured lines in it).
- streak something with something His face was streaked with mud.
- The sunset streaked the sky with brilliant colours.
[intransitive] + adv./prep. to move very fast in a particular direction synonym speed
- A car pulled out and streaked off down the road.
- She streaked home in under 54 seconds.
- A police car streaked by, lights flashing.
- Some kind of animal leaped out of the grass and streaked across the meadow.
[intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) (informal) to run through a public place with no clothes on as a way of getting attention

Word OriginOld English strica, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch streek and German Strich, also to strike. The sense ‘run naked’ was originally US slang.