string
/strɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /strɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈstriŋ/ (ame, mw)
string — noun
- stringsingular
- stringsplural
1. Strong, thin cord made by twisting several thinner fibres together, used for tyi
Strong, thin cord made by twisting several thinner fibres together, used for tying, fastening, or hanging things.
Christopher tied the parcel with a strong piece of string.
piece of string — typical quantifier
Asako found a ball of string in the kitchen drawer and used it to hang party lanterns.
ball of string — common packaging noun
Quan pulled the string tight and the canvas bag closed around the camping gear.
Hana tied a small gift box with a long piece of red string and added a bow.
用法筆記
Countable when referring to a specific length or piece (e.g. 'two strings'). Uncountable when referring to the material in general (e.g. 'a reel of string').
常見錯誤
2. Several items that have been put on a single piece of cord, wire, or thread in a
Several items that have been put on a single piece of cord, wire, or thread in a row.
Iris wore a string of pearls that her grandmother had given her.
string of pearls — classic jewellery collocation
Femi hung a string of colourful lights across the garden for the summer party.
string of lights
A string of dried chillies hung from the kitchen ceiling hook.
Lan threaded a string of origami paper cranes across the classroom for the school festival.
用法筆記
Followed by 'of' + noun to specify what is threaded (e.g. 'a string of beads', 'a string of onions').
3. Several similar occurrences or items that happen or appear one right after the o
Several similar occurrences or items that happen or appear one right after the other.
The football team lost a string of five games after their captain got injured.
string of + number + noun — quantifying pattern
An unexpected string of events led the Seoul police to the missing child within two days.
Devika published a string of investigative articles about water pollution in the local newspaper.
A string of complaints from customers forced the restaurant to change its menu.
用法筆記
Always followed by 'of' + noun. Implies a notable or surprising number in sequence, not just any series.
4. A thin wire or cord that vibrates to make a sound when someone plays it by pluck
A thin wire or cord that vibrates to make a sound when someone plays it by plucking, bowing, or striking — found on guitars, violins, and pianos.
Kian broke a guitar string during the concert and had to replace it on stage.
guitar string — instrument + string collocation
The violin's A string sounded a little out of tune after the long rehearsal.
Sari pressed the piano key softly and the string inside the piano vibrated beautifully.
A loose string on the cello made a buzz whenever Talia played the lower notes.
用法筆記
Typically modified by the name of the instrument (guitar string, violin string, piano string) or by pitch name (E string, G string).
5. All the instruments whose sound comes from vibrating strings — such as violins,
All the instruments whose sound comes from vibrating strings — such as violins, violas, cellos, and double basses — when treated as a single unit within an orchestra or band, or the musicians who play them.
The strings played a soft melody while the orchestra waited to join in.
the strings — collective noun for string section
Quinn joined the string section of the city youth orchestra as a viola player.
The conductor asked the strings to play more quietly during the second movement.
The strings opened the concert with a lively piece by Vivaldi.
- string section
more formal term for the same group
- brass
the brass instruments section of an orchestra
- woodwind
the woodwind instruments section of an orchestra
- percussion
the percussion instruments section of an orchestra
用法筆記
Used with plural verb agreement when referring to the group of instruments or players. Can also appear as 'the string section' or simply 'the strings'.
6. Each of the thin strands stretched across the head of a racket, designed to stri
Each of the thin strands stretched across the head of a racket, designed to strike the ball in sports such as tennis, badminton, or squash.
Devika had the strings of her tennis racket replaced before the championship match.
strings of [sport] racket
One of the racket strings snapped when Jabari served the ball at full power.
Top tennis players like Naomi Osaka change their racket strings after every tournament match.
Loose racket strings made it hard for Sven to control his shots during the game.
用法筆記
Often appears in the plural ('the strings of a racket'). The verb 'to string' is used for fitting new strings (see verb senses).
7. A group of text characters — which may include alphabetic, numeric, or punctuati
A group of text characters — which may include alphabetic, numeric, or punctuation signs — handled as one unit in computer code or text searches.
The login script searches for a specific string of characters in the user database to verify each password.
string of characters — computing collocation
Quinn typed a search string into the database to find customer records from June.
In JavaScript, a string variable can store a username like "amani_85" for use in the login function.
When Yuki tried to set a long password, the error message said the input string exceeded the 12-character limit.
用法筆記
Almost always used in technical contexts about programming, searching, or data processing. Often appears as 'string of characters' or 'text string'.
string — adjective
- stringpositive
- stringercomparative
- stringestsuperlative
1. Relating to or consisting of musical instruments that produce sound through vibr
Relating to or consisting of musical instruments that produce sound through vibrating strings.
The school orchestra has a strong string section with twelve violin players and four cellists.
string section — common noun phrase
Mei prefers string instruments to wind instruments because of their warm, rich tone during chamber concerts.
The Korean composer Unsuk Chin wrote a beautiful piece for string quartet and solo piano.
The music store sells a wide range of string instruments like violins and cellos.
用法筆記
Almost always used attributively (before a noun). Common collocations include 'string section', 'string instrument', 'string quartet', and 'string orchestra'.
string — verb
- stringpresent simple I / you / we / they
- strings3rd person singular
- stringing-ing form
- strungpast simple
1. To fit a musical instrument with a set of new strings, or to replace the existin
To fit a musical instrument with a set of new strings, or to replace the existing ones.
Dylan spent the afternoon stringing his acoustic guitar with new steel wires.
string + noun + with + noun — prepositional pattern
The repair shop can string your violin and tune it for a small fee.
Rohan watched an online tutorial to learn how to string a cello with new gut strings.
This old Yamaha guitar needs to be strung with light-gauge strings for easier fingerstyle playing.
- fit strings on
more literal, less common
文法句型
string + noun
string + noun + with + noun
用法筆記
Typically used with instruments like guitar, violin, cello, or harp. Past tense: strung. The instrument is the direct object, and the material can be added with 'with'.
2. To fit a sports racket with new strings, often to achieve a specific tension.
To fit a sports racket with new strings, often to achieve a specific tension.
Jabari needs to get his badminton racket strung before the tournament next Saturday.
get + noun + strung — causative passive pattern
Kim's Sports Shop strings tennis rackets while you wait for a reasonable price.
Top tennis players have their rackets strung at very high tension for more powerful serves and groundstrokes.
Quan asked the coach where he could get his squash racket strung in town.
文法句型
string + noun
用法筆記
Often used in the causative construction 'have/get something strung'. The tension of the strings is a key parameter that players choose.
3. To pass a thread, cord, or wire through a series of objects such as beads, shell
To pass a thread, cord, or wire through a series of objects such as beads, shells, or flowers to make a necklace, decoration, or garland.
Talia showed her sister how to string beads onto a thin wire for a bracelet.
string + noun + onto + noun — prepositional pattern
Sumin strung dried flowers on a cotton thread to make a winter decoration.
The children strung popcorn and cranberries together to decorate the tree.
Lan carefully strung the shells she had collected on the beach onto a leather cord.
- thread
more general; can be used for sewing needles or film reels as well
文法句型
string + noun + on/onto + noun
string + noun + together
用法筆記
The direct object can be the objects being threaded or the cord itself. When the focus is on the cord, use 'string + noun + with + objects' (e.g. 'string a wire with beads').