1 [noncount] : the quality or state of being physically strong
▪ I don't have enough strength [=I'm not strong enough] to lift the box by myself. ▪ I was impressed by his strength. ▪ She's doing exercises to build up the strength in her legs. ▪ Don't work too hard. You need to conserve/save your strength for tomorrow. ▪ Pull-ups increase upper body strength. ▪ muscular strength ▪ Working on a farm requires a lot of physical strength. ▪ He didn't mean to knock you down; he just doesn't know his own strength. [=doesn't realize how strong he really is] ▪ She hit the ball with all her strength. [=she hit the ball as hard as she could] ▪ She goes to the gym for strength training. [=activities that make muscles stronger] 2 [noncount] : the ability to resist being moved or broken by a force
▪ the strength and durability of the material ▪ bone strength 3 [noncount] : the quality that allows someone to deal with problems in a determined and effective way
▪ I pray that I'll have the strength to do what I have to do. ▪ moral strength ▪ His determination shows real strength of character. ▪ Her inner strength is an inspiration to us all. 4 [count] : a quality or feature that makes someone or something effective or useful
▪ Her greatest strength is her keen attention to details. ▪ We talked about the strengths and weaknesses [=the good parts and bad parts] of the movie. — opposite weakness 5 [noncount] : the power or influence of a group, organization, etc.
▪ The antiwar movement is gathering/gaining strength. [=is becoming stronger and more effective] ▪ The country has great military/economic strength. ▪ There is strength in numbers. [=a group of people has more influence or power than one person] ▪ We are negotiating from a position of strength. [=from a strong position; from a position that gives us an advantage] ▪ The strike was intended as a show of strength by the union's leaders. 6 [noncount] — used to describe how strong or deeply held an emotion or opinion is ▪ The strength of their feelings inspired us all. = Their strength of feeling inspired us all. ▪ I was impressed by the strength of her convictions. 7 — used to describe how powerful something is [noncount] ▪ the strength of the wind ▪ This device measures the strength of radio signals. ▪ maximum/regular/extra strength cough syrup ▪ industrial-strength floor cleaner ▪ The cleaning solution should be used at half-strength. [count] ▪ medicines that come in lower strengths 8 [noncount] : the number of people in a group, army, team, etc.
▪ The battle cost the army about a quarter of its strength. ▪ Now that the quarterback has recovered from his injury, this week the team will be functioning at full strength again. [=the team will have all its players again] ▪ We're only at half strength today. [=only half the usual number of people are here today] ▪ (chiefly Brit) The team is under/below strength today. [=the team does not have all of its players today] ▪ The enemies attacked in strength. [=in great numbers] 9 [noncount] a : the value of a country's money when it is compared to money from other countries
▪ the strength of the U.S. dollar
b : the financial condition of something
▪ measuring the strength of the economy/market