She strained from the mattress to see who it was.

Things were strained from the beginning, according to the inspector general's inquiry.

He could feel the muscles around his mouth straining from the effort to smile.

Jeremy paused and strained his eyes from the car window.

The dialogue between the school administration and the Cantor family has been strained from the beginning.

His eyes were sore, strained from the effort of trying to see when vision was impossible.

But, according to both sides, the working relationship between actor and producers was strained from the start.

And that means it may strain from the effort at times, a point critics have made about some of this season's episodes.

He had strained from his prison to touch the world enough to fix the seasons in place.

She called, 'Just a minute,' her throat straining from the effort.