What does strung mean?
“Strung” is chiefly the past tense and past participle of “string.” It describes stretching, fastening, fitting, or hanging something with a cord, wire, or line: one can string lights across a roof, string a bow, or fit strings on a musical instrument. When used in the expression “strung out,” it has an informal adjectival meaning: a person who is strung out feels extremely nervous, anxious, tense, or exhausted. The physical sense comes from the idea of material pulled taut or arranged in lines, which helps explain the figurative sense of tension. Although “strung” functions grammatically like an ordinary past-tense form, it is commonly encountered in speech and writing as a recognizable word in its own right.
The past tense and past participle of “string,” meaning to stretch, fasten, or fit something with a cord, wire, or line; to hang or suspend something; or to equip something with strings.
"The gallery strung its photographs across two long white walls."
The precise meaning depends on context: “strung with lights” suggests decoration or arrangement, while “strung a bow” means drawing the bowstring into a taut position.
Extremely nervous, anxious, tense, or exhausted, especially in the informal expression “strung out.”
"The delay left the travelers strung out and impatient."
This use is informal and is normally encountered as part of the fixed phrase “strung out,” rather than as a stand-alone adjective.
A bridge can be strung across a gorge, but a person can also be “strung out” when nerves and exhaustion reach breaking point.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does strung come from?
The word derives from “string,” which comes from Old English “streng,” meaning a cord or line, with Germanic relatives that include German “Strang” and Dutch “snoer.” The older form was also influenced by Latin “stringere,” a verb meaning to draw tight or bind, which underlies words such as “constrain,” “constraint,” and “stringency.” The modern inflected form “strung” follows the historical change from “stringed” to “strung” in the consonant, reflecting a pattern found in several English verbs.
How strung is actually used
As a form of “string,” this word is standard in both British and American English. The adjectival expression “strung out” is informal and often suggests a combination of anxiety, tension, and exhaustion.
Easily confused with strung
“Strung” means stretched, hung, fitted, or fastened with a line or cord, whereas “stung” means affected by a sharp pain or emotional hurt.
“Strung” contains the vowel sound /ʌ/, while “shorn” has /ɔː/ and means cut short or deprived of something.