string
string [string strings strung stringing] noun, verb, adjective BrE [strɪŋ] NAmE [strɪŋ]
noun 
FOR TYING/FASTENING
1. uncountable, countable material made of several threads twisted together, used for tying things together; a piece of string used to fasten or pull sth or keep sth in place
•a piece/length of string
• He wrapped the package in brown paper and tied it with string.
• The key is hanging on a string by the door.
see also ↑drawstring, ↑G-string, ↑purse strings
THINGS JOINED
2. countable a set or series of things that are joined together, for example on a string
•a string of pearls
• The molecules join together to form long strings.
SERIES
3. countable a series of things or people that come closely one after another
•a string of hits
• He owns a string of racing stables.
COMPUTING
4. countable a series of characters (= letters, numbers, etc.)
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
5. countable a tightly stretched piece of wire, ↑nylon, or ↑catgut on a musical instrument, that produces a musical note when the instrument is played
6. the stringsplural the group of musical instruments in an ↑orchestra that have strings, for example ↑violins; the people who play them
• The opening theme is taken up by the strings.
compare ↑brass, ↑percussion, ↑woodwind
ON TENNIS RACKET
7. countable any of the tightly stretched pieces of ↑nylon, etc. in a ↑racket, used for hitting balls in ↑tennis and some other games
CONDITIONS
8. stringsplural special conditions or restrictions
•Major loans like these always come with strings.
•It's a business proposition, pure and simple. No strings attached.
more at (tied to) your mother's, wife's, etc. apron strings at ↑apron, how long is a piece of string at ↑long adj., pull stringspull the strings at ↑pull v.
Word Origin:
Old English streng (noun), of Germanic origin; related to German Strang, also to ↑strong. The verb (dating from late Middle English) is first recorded in the senses ‘arrange in a row’ and ‘fit with a string’.
Thesaurus:
string noun U, C
•The key hangs on a string by the door.
cord • • rope • • thread • • yarn •
tie sth with string/cord/rope
wind the string/cord/thread/yarn
a string/cord/rope/thread breaks
a length/piece of string/cord/rope/thread
Example Bank:
•He pulled the string tight.
•He wound the string into a ball.
•I cut a length of string to tie up the package.
•Next to the phone, there was a pencil dangling on a string.
•Play it on the G string.
•The treatment is available in a string of clinics across the country.
•There's a knot in the string.
•There's been a whole string of accidents at that corner.
•This is the latest in a string of scandals associated with the president.
•Tie the string around the package.
•Tie the string round the parcel.
•a tennis player with a long string of successes on grass courts
•After winning a string of elections, the party suddenly went into decline.
•He had a whole string of broken relationships in his past.
•He retired after a string of chart hits in the 1980s.
•The company owns a string of casinos in Nevada.
Idiom: ↑have another more strings to your bow
Derived: ↑string along ▪ ↑string somebody along ▪ ↑string somebody up ▪ ↑string something out ▪ ↑string something together
verb (strung, strungBrE [strʌŋ] ; NAmE [strʌŋ] )
HANG DECORATION
1. to hang or tie sth in place, especially as decoration
•~ sth + adv./prep. We strung paper lanterns up in the trees.
•~ A on, along, in, etc. B Flags were strung out along the route.
•~ B with A The route was strung with flags.
JOIN THINGS
2. ~ sth + adv./prep. to put a series of small objects on string, etc; to join things together with string, etc.
Syn: ↑thread
•She had strung the shells on a silver chain.
• (figurative)carbon atoms strung together to form giant molecules
RACKET/MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
3. ~ sth to put a string or strings on a ↑racket or musical instrument
see also ↑highly strung
Verb forms: 
Word Origin:
Old English streng (noun), of Germanic origin; related to German Strang, also to ↑strong. The verb (dating from late Middle English) is first recorded in the senses ‘arrange in a row’ and ‘fit with a string’.
adjective only before noun
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
1. consisting of musical instruments that have strings; connected with these musical instruments
•a string quartet
•a string player
MADE OF STRING
2. made of string or sth like string
•a string bag/vest
Word Origin:
Old English streng (noun), of Germanic origin; related to German Strang, also to ↑strong. The verb (dating from late Middle English) is first recorded in the senses ‘arrange in a row’ and ‘fit with a string’.
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