strength Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the property of being physically or mentally strong
    • fatigue sapped his strength
  2. noun capability in terms of personnel and materiel that affect the capacity to fight a war
    military posture; military capability; military strength; posture.
    • we faced an army of great strength
    • politicians have neglected our military posture
  3. noun physical energy or intensity
    forcefulness; force.
    • he hit with all the force he could muster
    • it was destroyed by the strength of the gale
    • a government has not the vitality and forcefulness of a living man
  4. noun an asset of special worth or utility
    strong suit; speciality; strong point; specialty; long suit; forte; metier.
    • cooking is his forte
  5. noun the power to induce the taking of a course of action or the embracing of a point of view by means of argument or entreaty
    persuasiveness.
    • the strength of his argument settled the matter
  6. noun the amount of energy transmitted (as by acoustic or electromagnetic radiation)
    intensity; intensity level.
    • he adjusted the intensity of the sound
    • they measured the station's signal strength
  7. noun capacity to produce strong physiological or chemical effects
    potency; effectiveness.
    • the toxin's potency
    • the strength of the drinks
  8. noun the condition of financial success
    • the strength of the company's stock in recent weeks
  9. noun permanence by virtue of the power to resist stress or force
    lastingness; enduringness; durability.
    • they advertised the durability of their products

WordNet

Strength noun
Etymology
OE. strengthe, AS. strengu, fr. strang strong. See Strong.
Definitions
  1. The quality or state of being strong; ability to do or to bear; capacity for exertion or endurance, whether physical, intellectual, or moral; force; vigor; power; as, strength of body or of the arm; strength of mind, of memory, or of judgment.
    All his [Samson's] strength in his hairs were. Chaucer.
    Thou must outlive Thy youth, thy strength, thy beauty. Milton.
  2. Power to resist force; solidity or toughness; the quality of bodies by which they endure the application of force without breaking or yielding; -- in this sense opposed to frangibility; as, the strength of a bone, of a beam, of a wall, a rope, and the like. "The brittle strength of bones." Milton.
  3. Power of resisting attacks; impregnability. "Our castle's strength will laugh a siege to scorn." Shak.
  4. That quality which tends to secure results; effective power in an institution or enactment; security; validity; legal or moral force; logical conclusiveness; as, the strength of social or legal obligations; the strength of law; the strength of public opinion; strength of evidence; strength of argument.
  5. One who, or that which, is regarded as embodying or affording force, strength, or firmness; that on which confidence or reliance is based; support; security.
    God is our refuge and strength. Ps. xlvi. 1.
    What they boded would be a mischief to us, you are providing shall be one of our principal strengths. Sprat.
    Certainly there is not a greater strength against temptation. Jer. Taylor.
  6. Force as measured; amount, numbers, or power of any body, as of an army, a navy, and the like; as, what is the strength of the enemy by land, or by sea?
  7. Vigor or style; force of expression; nervous diction; -- said of literary work.
    And praise the easy vigor of a life Where Denham's strength and Waller's sweetness join. Pope.
  8. Intensity; -- said of light or color.
    Bright Phoebus in his strength. Shak.
  9. Intensity or degree of the distinguishing and essential element; spirit; virtue; excellence; -- said of liquors, solutions, etc.; as, the strength of wine or of acids.
  10. A strong place; a stronghold. Obs. Shak. Syn. -- Force; robustness; toughness; hardness; stoutness; brawniness; lustiness; firmness; puissance; support; spirit; validity; authority. See Force.
Strength transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To strengthen. Obs. Chaucer.

Webster 1913