/ strɔː; NAmE / noun
1.
[ U ] stems of wheat or other grain plants that have been cut and dried. Straw is used for making mats , hats, etc., for packing things to protect them, and as food for animals or for them to sleep on :
a mattress filled with straw
a straw hat
—compare hay
2.
[ C ] a single stem or piece of straw :
He was leaning over the gate chewing on a straw.
3.
(also ˈdrinking straw ) a thin tube of plastic or paper that you suck a drink through
—picture at carton
•
IDIOMS
- clutch / grasp at straws
- the last / final straw | the straw that breaks the camel's back
- a straw in the wind
—more at brick noun , draw verb
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English strēaw , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stroo and German Stroh , also to strew .