1. To pass a liquid through some kind of filter or sieve in order to extract or remove it from something else, or vice versa. A noun or pronoun is used between "strain" and "through." You'll need to strain the solution through a fine-mesh sieve in order to remove the last of the insoluble particles. Collect some of the cooking water in a jug before straining it through a colander, then use some of that starchy liquid in your pasta sauce just before you're ready to serve.

2. To move through something with great effort or labor. I strained through the underbrush, my skin scratched and clothes torn as a result. It began to rain, and we had to strain through thick, viscous mud for the last 50 meters or so.

3. To search through the text of some written document very carefully and meticulously. I strained through the will, trying to find anything naming me as one of the inheritors. Our team has been spending days straining through all of these papers, but there's nothing of use in any of them!

4. Of one's eyes, to squint through some aperture in an attempt to see (something). She strained through puffy eyelids to see who was at her door so early in the morning. Everyone on the bus strained through the rain-streaked windows to catch a glimpse of the famous actor.