physical strain

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   Pressure or effort on the body that can cause tiredness, pain, or injury.

   Grammar: Uncountable; often used with 'put' or 'cause': put strain on your back.

   Patterns

   • put physical strain on something
   • cause physical strain
   • under physical strain

   Lifting heavy boxes all day puts physical strain on your back.

   The job involves a lot of physical strain, so workers take regular breaks.

   Her doctor warned that running every day could cause physical strain on her knees.

2. 2noununcountable

   A feeling of tension or stress in the body, often from worry or hard work.

   Grammar: Used to describe the body's reaction to demanding situations.

   Patterns

   • show signs of physical strain
   • physical strain of something

   You could see the physical strain of the long journey in his face.

   The physical strain of caring for a sick relative can be exhausting.

Common combinations

put physical strain on

Carrying a heavy backpack puts physical strain on your shoulders.

cause physical strain

Poor posture can cause physical strain in the neck.

reduce physical strain

Using a trolley reduces physical strain when moving boxes.

signs of physical strain

She showed signs of physical strain after the marathon.

Synonyms and how they differ

stress

Stress is often mental or emotional, while physical strain is about the body.

tension

Tension is a tight feeling in muscles or a nervous state; strain is the effort or pressure itself.

Opposites

Word family

strain noun

The general word for pressure or effort.

strain verb

To make a great effort or to injure a muscle by overuse.

strained adjective

Showing the effects of pressure or effort.

Commonly confused: physical strain or sprain?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “physical strain”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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