Standard Lemma guide

streak

noun · verb · 23 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /stɹiːk/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːk
  • CMU ARPABET: S T R IY1 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An irregular line left from smearing or motion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The picture I took out the car window had streaks.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A continuous series of like events.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I hope I can keep up this streak of accomplishments.
  • I was on a winning streak until the fourth game, when I was dealt terrible cards.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A continuous series of like events.

A measure of activity that tracks how many consecutive days a certain interaction with another user or a service has taken place, a form of gamification to drive user engagement.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Internet

Qualifier: social media

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A consistent facet of somebody's personality.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a mean streak
  • a stubborn streak

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The color of the powder of a mineral. So called, because a simple field test for a mineral is to streak it against unglazed white porcelain.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A moth of the family Geometridae, Chesias legatella.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Streak (moth) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A tendency or characteristic, but not a dominant or pervasive one.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • She's a quiet, bookish person, but she has a rebellious streak.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A strake.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, manufacturing, shipbuilding

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

A rung or round of a ladder.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

The act of streaking, or running naked through a public area.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

To have or obtain streaks.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • If you clean a window in direct sunlight, it will streak.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

verb

Meaning 12

To run quickly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

verb

Meaning 13

To run naked in public.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • It was a pleasant game until some guy went streaking across the field.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

verb

Meaning 14

To move very swiftly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

15

verb

Meaning 15

To create streaks upon.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • You will streak a window by cleaning it in direct sunlight.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

16

verb

Meaning 16

To stretch; to extend; hence, to lay out, as a dead body.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Scotland, UK, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

17

noun

Meaning 17

a narrow marking of a different color or texture from the background

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a green toad with small black stripes or bars
  • may the Stars and Stripes forever wave

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stripe, bar

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: marking

Narrower terms: band, banding, stria, striation

18

noun

Meaning 18

a distinctive characteristic

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he has a stubborn streak
  • a streak of wildness

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: characteristic

19

noun

Meaning 19

a sudden flash (as of lightning)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: flash

20

noun

Meaning 20

an unbroken series of events

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • had a streak of bad luck
  • Nicklaus had a run of birdies

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: run

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: succession

Narrower terms: losing streak, winning streak

21

verb

Meaning 21

mark with spots or blotches of different color or shades of color as if stained

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mottle, blotch

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: color, colorize, colorise, colourise, colourize, colour, color in, colour in

22

verb

Meaning 22

run naked in a public place

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: run

23

verb

Meaning 23

move quickly in a straight line

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The plane streaked across the sky

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: move

History

Etymology

From Middle English streke, from Old English strica, from Proto-Germanic *strikiz, from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“line”). Related to North Frisian strijck, Old Saxon striki, Middle Low German streke, Low German streek, Danish streg, Swedish streck, Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk strek, Icelandic stryk, strykr, Dutch streek, Afrikaans streek, Old High German strih, German Strich, Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍃 (striks).

Across languages

Translations

83 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: рязка (rjazka) — irregular line
  • Bulgarian: драскотина (draskotina) — irregular line
  • Chinese Mandarin: 痕迹 (hénjì) — irregular line
  • Dutch: streep — irregular line
  • Esperanto: ŝmiraĵo — irregular line
  • Finnish: juova — irregular line
  • Finnish: raita — irregular line
  • Finnish: viiru — irregular line
  • French: raie — irregular line
  • German: Schliere — irregular line
  • Hungarian: csík — irregular line
  • Hungarian: sáv — irregular line
  • Hungarian: erezet — irregular line
  • Ido: strio — irregular line
  • Irish: síog — irregular line
  • Italian: striatura — irregular line
  • Italian: striscia — irregular line
  • Japanese: 条痕 (jōkon) — irregular line
  • Māori: tarapī — irregular line
  • Occitan: raia — irregular line
  • Occitan: estria — irregular line
  • Occitan: estralh — irregular line
  • Portuguese: risco — irregular line
  • Russian: полоса́ (polosá) — irregular line
  • Russian: поло́ска (polóska) — irregular line
  • Scottish Gaelic: srian — irregular line
  • Scottish Gaelic: stìom — irregular line
  • Spanish: raya — irregular line
  • Spanish: trazo — irregular line
  • Swedish: ränder — irregular line
  • Vietnamese: vệt — irregular line
  • Bashkir: һыҙат (hıźat) — continuous series of events
  • Bulgarian: серия (serija) — continuous series of events
  • Bulgarian: последователност (posledovatelnost) — continuous series of events
  • Chinese Mandarin: 连胜 (liánshèng) — continuous series of events
  • Chinese Mandarin: 连续记录 — continuous series of events
  • Finnish: sarja — continuous series of events
  • Finnish: ketju — continuous series of events
  • Finnish: putki — continuous series of events
  • Hungarian: sorozat — continuous series of events
  • Hungarian: széria — continuous series of events
  • Polish: passa — continuous series of events
  • Portuguese: série — continuous series of events
  • Russian: полоса́ (polosá) — continuous series of events
  • Russian: череда (čereda) — continuous series of events
  • Scottish Gaelic: stìom — continuous series of events
  • Spanish: sarta — continuous series of events
  • Spanish: racha — continuous series of events
  • Spanish: ristra — continuous series of events
  • Spanish: serie — continuous series of events
  • Spanish: secuencia — continuous series of events
  • Swedish: rad — continuous series of events
  • Finnish: viiru — color of mineral powder
  • Spanish: trazo — color of mineral powder
  • Dutch: herfstbremspanner — species of moth
  • Finnish: jänönvihmamittari — species of moth
  • French: chésias du genêt — species of moth
  • German: Später Ginsterspanner — species of moth
  • Hungarian: szürkés zanótaraszoló — species of moth
  • Spanish: geómetra — species of moth
  • Chinese Mandarin: 气质 (qìzhì) — non-dominant tendency or characteristic
  • Chinese Mandarin: 迹象 (jìxiàng) — non-dominant tendency or characteristic
  • Finnish: piirre — non-dominant tendency or characteristic
  • Hungarian: beütés — non-dominant tendency or characteristic
  • Russian: черта (čerta) — non-dominant tendency or characteristic
  • Scottish Gaelic: stìom — non-dominant tendency or characteristic
  • Spanish: toque — non-dominant tendency or characteristic
  • Bulgarian: нашарвам се (našarvam se) — to have or obtain streaks
  • Finnish: tulla juovikkaaksi — to have or obtain streaks
  • German: schlieren — to have or obtain streaks
  • Irish: síog — to have or obtain streaks
  • Spanish: rayarse — to have or obtain streaks
  • Chinese Mandarin: 裸奔 (luǒbēn) — to run naked in public
  • Finnish: viuhahtaa — to run naked in public
  • German: flitzen — to run naked in public
  • Spanish: correr desnudo — to run naked in public
  • Swedish: springa naken — to run naked in public
  • Swedish: streaka — to run naked in public
  • Finnish: juovittaa — to create streaks
  • Finnish: tehdä juovikkaaksi — to create streaks
  • Irish: síog — to create streaks
  • Spanish: rayar — to create streaks
  • Finnish: viuhahtaa — to move very swiftly
Real reading context

streak in complete knowledge articles