use-icon

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

use-icon

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

open-icon

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

scroll-icon

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

100-words-icon

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

open-icon

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

strong (strông)
Share:
adj. strong·er, strong·est
1.
a. Physically powerful; capable of exerting great physical force.
b. Marked by great physical power: a strong blow to the head.
2. In good or sound health; robust: a strong constitution; a strong heart.
3. Economically or financially sound or thriving: a strong economy.
4. Having force of character, will, morality, or intelligence: a strong personality.
5. Having or showing ability or achievement in a specified field: students who are strong in chemistry.
6. Capable of the effective exercise of authority: a strong leader.
7.
a. Capable of withstanding force or wear; solid, tough, or firm: a strong building; a strong fabric.
b. Having great binding strength: a strong adhesive.
8. Not easily captured or defeated: a strong flank; a strong defense.
9. Not easily upset; resistant to harmful or unpleasant influences: strong nerves; a strong stomach.
10. Having force or rapidity of motion: a strong current.
11.
a. Persuasive, effective, and cogent: a strong argument.
b. Forceful and pointed; emphatic: a strong statement.
c. Forthright and explicit, often offensively so: strong language.
12. Extreme; drastic: had to resort to strong measures.
13. Having force of conviction or feeling; uncompromising: strong faith; a strong supporter.
14. Intense in degree or quality: a strong emotion; strong motivation.
15.
a. Having an intense or offensive effect on the senses: strong light; strong vinegar; strong cologne.
b. Clear and loud: a strong voice.
c. Readily noticeable; remarkable: a strong resemblance; a strong contrast.
d. Readily detected or received: a strong radio signal.
16.
a. Having a high concentration of an essential or active ingredient: mixed a strong solution of bleach and water.
b. Containing a considerable percentage of alcohol: strong punch.
c. Powerfully effective: a strong painkiller.
17. Of or relating to a color having a high degree of saturation.
18. Having a specified number of units or members: a military force 100,000 strong.
19. Marked by steady or rising prices: a strong market.
20. Linguistics
a. Of or relating to those verbs in Germanic languages that form their past tense by a change in stem vowel, and their past participles by a change in stem vowel and sometimes by adding the suffix -(e)n, as sing, sang, sung or tear, tore, torn.
b. Of or relating to the inflection of nouns or adjectives in Germanic languages with endings that historically did not contain a suffix with an n.
21. Stressed or accented in pronunciation or poetic meter. Used of a word or syllable.
adv.
In a strong, powerful, or vigorous manner; forcefully: a salesperson who comes on too strong.
[Middle English, from Old English strang.]
strongish adj.
strongly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

American Heritage Dictionary Products