streak

[streek]

noun

1. a long, narrow mark, smear, band of color, or the like.

   streaks of mud.

2. a portion or layer of something, distinguished by color or nature from the rest; a vein or stratum.

   streaks of fat in meat.

3. a vein, strain, or admixture of anything.

   a streak of humor.

   Synonyms: trace, element, touch, cast

4. Informal.

   1. a spell or run.

      a streak of good luck.

   2. an uninterrupted series.

      The team had a losing streak of ten games.

5. a flash leaving a visible line or aftereffect, as of lightning; bolt.

6. Mineralogy.,  the line of powder obtained by scratching a mineral or rubbing it upon a hard, rough white surface, often differing in color from the mineral in the mass, and serving as an important distinguishing character.

7. Plant Pathology.

   1. an elongated, narrow, superficial lesion on stems or leaf veins, becoming brown and necrotic.

   2. any disease characterized by such lesions.

verb (used with object)

1. to mark with a streak or streaks; form streaks on.

   sunlight streaking the water with gold; frost streaking the windows.

2. to lighten or color (strands of hair) for contrastive effect.

3. to dispose, arrange, smear, spread, etc., in the form of a streak or streaks.

   to streak cold germs on a slide for microscopic study.

verb (used without object)

1. to become streaked.

2. to run, go, or work rapidly.

3. to flash, as lightning.

4. to make a sudden dash in public while naked, especially as a prank.

streak

¹

/ striːk /

noun

1. a long thin mark, stripe, or trace of some contrasting colour

2. 1. (of lightning) a sudden flash

   2. ( as modifier )

      streak lightning

3. an element or trace, as of some quality or characteristic

4. a strip, vein, or layer

   fatty streaks

5. a short stretch or run, esp of good or bad luck

6. mineralogy the powdery mark made by a mineral when rubbed on a hard or rough surface: its colour is an important distinguishing characteristic

7. bacteriol the inoculation of a solid culture medium by drawing a wire contaminated with the microorganisms across it

8. informal,  an act or the practice of running naked through a public place

verb

1. (tr) to mark or daub with a streak or streaks

2. (intr) to form streaks or become streaked

3. (intr) to move rapidly in a straight line

4. informal,  (intr) to run naked through a crowd of people in a public place in order to shock or amuse them

streak

²

/ striːk /

noun

1. a variant spelling of strake

streak

1. The characteristic color of a mineral after it has been ground into a powder. Because the streak of a mineral is not always the same as its natural color, it is a useful tool in mineral identification.

2. A bacterial culture inoculated by drawing a bacteria-laden needle across the surface of a solid culture medium.

3. Also called streak plate

4. Any of various viral diseases of plants characterized by the appearance of discolored stripes on the leaves or stems.

Other Word Forms

• streakedly adverb
• streakedness noun
• streaker noun
• streaklike adjective
• interstreak verb (used with object)
• unstreaked adjective
• streaked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of streak¹

First recorded before 1000; (for the noun) Middle English streke, akin to strike, Old English strica “stroke, line, mark”; cognate with German Strich, Gothic striks “stroke”; akin to Latin strigil strigil; (for the verb) late Middle English streken “to cross out,” derivative of the noun; strike, stroke ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of streak¹

Old English strica, related to Old Frisian strike, Old High German strih, Norwegian, Swedish strika

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. blue streak. blue streak.

see like greased lightning (a blue streak); talk someone's arm off (a blue streak); winning streak.

Example Sentences

“To me, the meaning of the streak is just showing up every day, being there for your team, trying to meet the challenges of the day,” Ripken said.

From Los Angeles Times

They’ve been inconsistent, struggling to stack clean performances or any semblance of an extended winning streak.

From Los Angeles Times

Four-time major champion Sinner, who extended his winning streak at hard-court Grand Slam tournaments to 25 matches, took eight of his 17 break opportunities.

From BBC

Harris has never missed an NFL game, starting in 68 straight contests over four seasons in Pittsburgh, but that streak could be in jeopardy.

From Los Angeles Times

At Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers’ loss snapped their four-game winning streak — halting their recent upswing both on the mound and at the plate.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• smear