strait(often straits) a narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water; difficulty; distress: dire straitsNot to be confused with:straight ? having no waves or bends: a straight path to the beach; candid and direct: straight talk; unmixed: I drink my whiskey straight.Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embreestrait (str?t)n. often straits1. A narrow channel joining two larger bodies of water: straits that were treacherous; the Strait of Gibraltar; the Bosporus Straits.2. A position of difficulty, perplexity, distress, or need: in desperate straits.adj. Archaic 1. a. Difficult; stressful.b. Having or marked by limited funds or resources.2. a. Narrow or confined.b. Fitting tightly; constricted.3. Strict, rigid, or righteous.[Middle English streit, narrow, a strait, from Old French estreit, tight, narrow, from Latin strictus, past participle of stringere, to draw tight; see streig- in Indo-European roots.]strait?ly adv.strait?ness n.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.strait (stre?t) n1. (Physical Geography) (often plural) a. a narrow channel of the sea linking two larger areas of seab. (capital as part of a name): the Strait of Gibraltar. 2. (often plural) a position of acute difficulty (often in the phrase in dire or desperate straits)3. (Physical Geography) archaic a narrow place or passageadj4. (of spaces, etc) affording little room5. (of circumstances, etc) limiting or difficult6. severe, strict, or scrupulous[C13: from Old French estreit narrow, from Latin strictus constricted, from stringere to bind tightly] ?straitly adv ?straitness nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014strait (stre?t) n. 1. Often, straits. (used with a sing. v.) a narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water. 2. Often, straits. a position of difficulty, distress, or need. 3. Archaic. a narrow passage or area. 4. isthmus. adj. Archaic. 5. narrow. 6. confined in area. 7. strict, as in requirements or principles. [1150?1200; Middle English streit