streak

1 of 2

noun

1
: a line or mark of a different color or texture from the ground : stripe
2
a
: the color of the fine powder of a mineral obtained by scratching or rubbing against a hard white surface and constituting an important distinguishing character
b
: inoculum implanted in a line on a solid medium
c
: any of numerous virus diseases of plants (such as tobacco and corn) resembling mosaic but usually producing at least some linear markings
3
a
: a narrow band of light
b
: a lightning bolt
4
a
: a slight admixture : trace
had a mean streak in him
b
: a brief run (as of luck)
c
: a consecutive series
was on a winning streak
5
: a narrow layer (as of fat)
6
: an act or instance of streaking

streak

2 of 2

verb

streaked; streaking; streaks

transitive verb

: to make streaks on or in
tears streaking her face

intransitive verb

1
: to move swiftly : rush
a jet streaking across the sky
2
: to have a streak (as of winning or outstanding performances)
3
: to run naked through a public place
streaker noun

Examples of streak in a Sentence

Noun He left streaks where he wiped the glass. The miners had streaks of coal dust on their faces. a streak of 11 straight victories Verb A shooting star streaked across the sky. A skateboarder streaked past us.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The state has added more than 3 million jobs since then, a remarkable streak that averaged just over 66,000 new jobs per month, according to the state Employment Development Department. Adam Beam, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2024 The longest streak of correct predictions came in 2019 by a neuropsychologist from Ohio who managed to pick the winner in the first 49 games of March Madness that year correctly. Ben Church, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 The retailer has been on an acquisitive streak in recent years, buying brands including FatFace, Joules, Cath Kidston, and Made.com. Jennifer Creery, Fortune Europe, 21 Mar. 2024 That detail, the targeting of men on the team, often plays into the longevity of abusers’ streaks. Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 Mitty softball extends win streak, Campolindo survives late Albany rally, Monte Vista beats Clayton Valley The Warriors (7-4, 1-2) put two runners on in the bottom of the sixth with none out and Marino called Obenour in from shortstop to pitch. Glenn Reeves, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 Seeing my current streak go from 40 to 0 was soul-crushing. Alex Montoya, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024 Singer Orville Peck donned his signature mask, while ally Sydney Sweeney kept her glamorous red carpet streak going. Lawrence Yee, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 Continuing her streak of body-baring looks, the actor stepped out in New York City on Monday wearing suspenders, a mesh bra and leather blazer. Hannah Coates, Vogue, 14 Mar. 2024
Verb
Closing out a six-month stay at the International Space Station, a three-man, one-woman crew plunged back to Earth early Tuesday, streaking across the heartland of America like a blazing meteor as their Crew Dragon capsule descended to a Gulf of Mexico splashdown. William Harwood, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024 In response, angry residents launched a sit-in at a clock tower; regime soldiers massacred them, leaving the asphalt streaked with blood. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 And the muscle that goes first tends to be low quality and streaked with fat. Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 2 Feb. 2024 Cena and Jimmy Kimmel paid tribute to the man who streaked at the 1974 Oscars. Dustin Nelson, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024 The afternoon seemed drab under its gray blanket of clouds, streaked by lower clouds of even darker gray. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024 The 49ers have lost the rebounding matchup in all four of their conference losses this season and must attack the glass to keep the streaking Bulls from securing their first AAC regular season championship with two games to play. Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2024 The play call wasn’t bad either; Mahomes took the shotgun snap, rolled to his right to get the Ravens defense off balance and found tight end Travis Kelce streaking across the middle of the field for 13 yards. Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024 The Wolverines shot better than 50% from the floor but rode their defense in the fourth quarter to streak past Cabot 54-45 in the first round of the Class 6A boys state tournament at Charging Wildcat Arena in North Little Rock. Erick Taylor, arkansasonline.com, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'streak.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English streke, from Old English strica; akin to Old High German strich line, Latin striga row — more at strike

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1576, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of streak was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near streak

Cite this Entry

“Streak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/streak. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

streak

1 of 2 noun
1
: a line or mark of a different color or texture from its background : stripe
2
: the color of the fine powder of a mineral obtained by scratching or rubbing against a hard white surface
3
a
: a narrow band of light
b
: a lightning bolt
4
a
: a small amount : trace, strain
streak of stubbornness
b
: a brief period or series
a streak of luck
was on a winning streak
5
: a narrow layer
a streak of fat in bacon

streak

2 of 2 verb
1
: to make or have streaks on or in
2
: to move swiftly : rush
a jet streaking across the sky

Medical Definition

streak

1 of 2 noun
1
: a usually irregular line or stripe see primitive streak
2
: inoculum implanted (as with a needle drawn across the surface) in a line on a solid medium

streak

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to implant (inoculum) in a line on a solid medium

More from Merriam-Webster on streak

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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