Meaning of “string” in the English Dictionary

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"string" in English

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stringnoun

uk ​ /strɪŋ/ us ​ /strɪŋ/

string noun (ROPE)

B2 [ C or U ] (a piece of) strong, thin rope made by twisting very thin threads together, used for fastening and tying things:

a package tied with string
a ball/piece of string
When you pull the strings, the puppet's arms and legs move.

› [ C ] a set of objects joined together in a row on a single rope or thread:

a string of beads/pearls
A string of onions hung from a beam in the kitchen.

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string noun (SERIES)

C2 [ C ] a series of related things or events:

What do you think of the recent string of political scandals?
He had a string of top-20 hits during the 80s.

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string noun (MUSIC)

B2 [ C ] a thin wire that is stretched across a musical instrument and is used to produce a range of notes depending on its thickness, length, and tightness:

A violin has four strings.
Guitar strings are made from steel or nylon.
You can pluck the strings on a guitar with your fingers or a plectrum.
a twelve-string guitar
strings [ plural ]

› the group of instruments that have strings and are played with a bow or with the fingers, or the players in a musical group who play these instruments:

I prefer his compositions for strings.
He played the cello and joined the strings in the school orchestra.

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Idiom(s)

have another/more than one string to your bow
strings attached

stringadjective

uk ​ /strɪŋ/ us ​ /strɪŋ/

stringverb [ T ]

uk ​ /strɪŋ/ us ​ /strɪŋ/ strung, strung

string verb [ T ] (BEADS, ETC.)

› to put a string through a number of objects:

Would you help me string these beads?

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Phrasal verb(s)

string sb along
string sth out
string sth together
string sb up
string sth up

(Definition of “string” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"string" in American English

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stringnoun

us ​ /strɪŋ/

string noun (CORD)

› [ C/U ] a thin length of cord:

[ U ] a piece of string

string noun (MUSIC)

› [ C ] a thin wire or cord that is stretched across a musical instrument and produces musical notes when pulled or hit:

Guitar strings are made from steel or nylon.

› [ C ] The strings in an orchestra is a group of instruments that produce sound with strings:

Violins, cellos, and double basses are all strings.

string noun (SET)

› [ C ] a set of objects joined together in a row on a single cord or thread:

a string of pearls

string noun (SERIES)

› [ C ] a series of related things or events:

He told the committee a string of lies.
Her new novel is the latest in a string of successes.

Idiom(s)

strings attached

stringverb [ T ]

us ​ /strɪŋ/ past tense and past participle strung /strʌŋ/

string verb [ T ] (ATTACH CORD)

› to attach a length of string or something similar by the ends, so that the middle hangs:

They strung ribbons of bright paper around the room in preparation for the party.

string verb [ T ] (JOIN IN SET)

› to put a thread or cord through each of a set of things:

The child sat on the floor, stringing wooden beads.
fig. I can just barely string together (= say) a couple of sentences in Japanese.

Phrasal verb(s)

string someone along
string along something
string out something
string out something

(Definition of “string” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

"string" in Business English

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stringnoun [ C ]

uk ​ /strɪŋ/ us ​
pull strings

› also US pull wires to use your power or influence to get what you want:

She became a journalist for one of the UK's top newspapers after her father pulled strings.
pull the strings

› the person who pulls the strings in a particular organization, situation, etc. makes the important decisions about it and controls it:

Shareholders are concerned because they no longer really know who is pulling the strings at the bank.

(Definition of “string” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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