v.
Pronunciation: ' str ā -t ə n
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form: strait · ened ; strait · en · ing \ ' str ā t-ni ŋ , ' str ā -t ə n-i ŋ \
Date: circa 1552
1 a : to make strait or narrow b : to hem in : CONFINE
2 archaic : to restrict in freedom or scope : HAMPER
3 : to subject to distress, privation, or deficiency <in straiten ed circumstances>