streak
/striːk/ (bre, ipa) · /striːk/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈstrēk/ (ame, mw)
streak — noun
- streaksingular
- streaksplural
1. a line or narrow coloured area on a surface that stands out because it differs i
a line or narrow coloured area on a surface that stands out because it differs in colour or texture from what is around it
Felix noticed a streak of blue paint on his grey school trousers after art class.
collocation: a streak of [substance]
Grey streaks appeared at the sides of Yumi's dark hair soon after she turned forty.
The window cleaner's rag left dirty streaks across the glass that the morning sun revealed.
When dawn broke, streaks of orange and pink spread across the sky above the hills.
A streak of golden light fell across the wooden floor when Chen opened the curtains.
文法句型
a streak of [substance]
常見錯誤
2. a noticeable feature of someone's personality, usually an unpleasant one such as
a noticeable feature of someone's personality, usually an unpleasant one such as cruelty, meanness, or stubbornness
Despite his friendly smile, Omar's mean streak surprised those who knew him well.
pattern: a [adjective] streak
Grandma's stubborn streak meant she would never ask for help, even when she needed it.
A competitive streak drives Eitan to train harder than anyone else on the team.
Folake's independent streak showed when she refused her parents' offer of financial support.
文法句型
[adjective] streak
a streak of [quality]
用法筆記
The adjective before 'streak' is almost always negative or neutral (mean, stubborn, jealous, independent, competitive). Positive qualities like kindness or generosity are rarely described as a 'streak'.
常見錯誤
3. a short but noticeable period in which lucky or unlucky events follow one anothe
a short but noticeable period in which lucky or unlucky events follow one another without a pause
Trang bought a lottery ticket during her lucky streak and actually won a small prize.
collocation: lucky streak / winning streak / losing streak
Anong's losing streak at cards ended when she finally won three hands in a row.
The team's winning streak of twelve games surprised everyone who watched them play.
Jenna hit a bad luck streak when her car broke and she lost her phone.
文法句型
[adjective] streak
a streak of (good/bad) luck
4. an unbroken chain of similar outcomes or actions, such as wins, losses, sales, o
an unbroken chain of similar outcomes or actions, such as wins, losses, sales, or attendances
The company reported a six-month streak of rising profits that excited its shareholders.
pattern: [time period] streak of [noun]
Vikram's streak of perfect attendance at school ended only when he caught a bad flu.
The singer's incredible streak of number-one hits lasted for nearly five years.
After missing three free throws in a row, Caio's scoring streak was finally broken.
- break
an interruption in the sequence
文法句型
a streak of [noun]
[number]-[noun] streak
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 3 (PERIOD OF LUCK): this sense describes any consecutive series of similar events without a break, regardless of whether luck is involved. The events can be achievements, business results, attendance records — anything that can be counted in sequence.
streak — verb
- streakpresent simple I / you / we / they
- streaks3rd person singular
- streaking-ing form
- streakedpast simple
1. to travel with great speed, typically without changing direction and becoming ha
to travel with great speed, typically without changing direction and becoming hard to see clearly
A red sports car streaked past the school gates, making the children turn their heads.
pattern: streak + past/direction adverb
The comet streaked across the dark sky, leaving a bright trail of light behind it.
A police motorcycle streaked through the narrow alley, scattering pigeons in its path.
A shooting star streaked across the dark sky and vanished behind a distant cloud.
- crawl
to move extremely slowly
文法句型
streak + direction phrase (past/through/across)
用法筆記
Almost always followed by a direction word or phrase (past, across, through, down, out of). Rarely used without a clear indication of the path of movement.
常見錯誤
2. to sprint in the nude somewhere publicly visible, for fun, on a dare, or to expr
to sprint in the nude somewhere publicly visible, for fun, on a dare, or to express disagreement
Élise and her friends streaked across the rugby field as a silly end-of-year prank.
informal register; pattern: streak + location phrase
The man was arrested after he streaked through the shopping mall during the afternoon rush.
Two university students were caught streaking past the main library at midnight.
A fan streaked around the edge of the pool during the Olympic swimming trials.
- moon
showing only the buttocks, not the whole body; different scale of exposure
文法句型
streak + location phrase
用法筆記
The noun form 'streaking' is more common than the verb when referring to this activity in general ('Streaking was a craze on campuses in the 1970s.')
3. to cover a surface with thin lines of a colour that stands out against the backg
to cover a surface with thin lines of a colour that stands out against the background
The old mirror was streaked with grey where the silver backing had worn away.
passive: be streaked with [substance]
Rain streaked the car's dusty windscreen as the storm began over the city.
Her dark hair was streaked with blonde from a summer spent at the beach.
Tears had streaked the child's face with dirt after the long walk home.
- stripe
verb form suggesting intentional, even bands of colour rather than irregular lines
文法句型
be streaked with [colour/substance]
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive voice ('is streaked with') to describe a natural or decorative appearance. In the active voice, the subject is typically a natural force like rain, light, or age.