strut
part of speech
verb (strut, struts, strutted, strutting); noun (a strut, struts)
meaning for a pupil
1) To strut is to walk in a proud, stiff way, with your chest out and head up, to show off. tree →
2) A strut is a bar or rod that holds up or strengthens part of a structure, like a bridge, a roof or an aircraft wing. tree →
3) «Strut your stuff» (informal) means to show off what you can do, especially when dancing. tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories strutting shows that a character is proud or showing off, like a rooster. In design and technology, struts are bars in a frame; a strut pushes apart, while a tie pulls together. Phrases: «strut about/around», «strut your stuff».
examples
- The rooster strutted across the farmyard. tree →
- He strutted into class wearing his new trainers. tree →
- The peacock strutted and spread its tail. tree →
- We used straws as struts to make our tower stronger. tree →
- The bridge is held up by steel struts. tree →
- The old plane had wooden struts between its wings. tree →
- Get on the dance floor and strut your stuff! tree →
- She strutted around after winning the race. tree →
- They said, "See how that fellow struts at the head of his little flock!" tree →
note
Doubling the «t»: strutted, strutting. «Strut» as walking usually sounds a bit negative (too proud). Do not confuse with «stutter» (to repeat sounds when speaking).
In the corpora
- Snap a chicken bone from Sunday dinner and it is hollow, with thin struts inside like a bridge, light but strong.
- Many bird bones are hollow, with thin crossing struts, and some are filled with air connected to the lungs.
- Toad struts along the high road, miles from home, singing his own praises: brain has beaten brute force!
- Adding a diagonal strut to a square frame divides it into two triangles and makes it rigid.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «strut» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.