What does strait mean?
A strait is primarily a narrow channel of water joining two seas, lakes, or other large bodies of water. The word can also describe a person’s difficult situation, as in being in a strait, and an adjective meaning narrowly restricted or confined. These meanings share an idea of limited space or limited options. In formal or literary contexts, a strait person or judgment may be described as honest, straightforward, and trustworthy. The related verb, to strait someone, means to put them in a difficult position, though it is less common than the noun and adjective. As a geographical term, strait is especially important in names such as the Strait of Gibraltar and the Strait of Hormuz. Together, its senses make it a useful word for describing both narrow physical passages and situations in which someone has few resources or opportunities.
A narrow waterway connecting two larger bodies of water; also, a difficult or restricted situation.
"The boat entered the strait between the mainland and the island."
In the sense of a difficult situation, strait is common in formal phrases such as in a strait and in dire straits.
Narrowly restricted, confined, or limited; in formal or literary use, honest, straightforward, or trustworthy.
"The company imposed strait limits on travel during the crisis."
The sense meaning honest or straightforward is now mainly formal, literary, or archaic.
To put someone or something in a difficult, confined, or restricted situation.
"The drought straitened the farmers by limiting their water supply."
This verb is less common in modern usage and often has a formal or literary tone.
The plural form is especially common in the idiomatic expression in dire straits, meaning in a very difficult situation.
"The business was struggling in dire straits before it received emergency funding."
A strait can be a passage through water and a passage through difficulty: both ideas suggest something narrow with limited room to manoeuvre.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does strait come from?
The word entered Middle English from Anglo-French or Old French forms meaning narrow or restricted. Those forms developed from Latin strictus, originally meaning drawn tight or narrow, and ultimately from stringere, meaning to draw or bind tightly. The same Latin root produced words such as strict, restrict, and constrict, while the geographical meaning arose from the idea of a narrow water passage.
Related word forms
How strait is actually used
In its geographic sense, strait is usually used in the singular, although straits commonly occurs in expressions such as in dire straits. The adjective is formal or literary in the sense meaning honest and straightforward, while the geographical and restrictive senses are standard in British and US English.
Easily confused with strait
A strait is a narrow waterway or a difficult situation, while strict describes something that is rigidly enforced or precise.