streak

UK: /ˈstriːk/ US: /strik/ ,(strēk)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

streak /strik/   n. [countable]

1. a long, narrow mark, smear, etc.:
   streaks of paint where the liquid had dripped.
2. a layer:
   streaks of fat in meat.
3. a strain or element, as of behavior or personality:
   a wild streak.
4. a number of occurrences, as in a series;
   a spell;
   run:
   a streak of good luck.
5. a flash leaving a visible line, as of lightning;
   a bolt.

v. 

6. to form streaks (on): [no object]
   The windows streak if you don't wash them.
   [~ + object]
   The windows were streaked with dirt.
7. [~ + object] to lighten or color (strands of hair).
8. to run, go, or work rapidly:
   [no object] The jets streaked across the sky.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

streak  (strēk), n. 

1. a long, narrow mark, smear, band of color, or the like:
   streaks of mud.
2. a portion or layer of something, distinguished by color or nature from the rest; a vein or stratum:
   streaks of fat in meat.
3. a vein, strain, or admixture of anything:
   a streak of humor.
4. Informal Terms
   • a spell or run:
     a streak of good luck.
   • an uninterrupted series:
     The team had a losing streak of ten games.
5. a flash leaving a visible line or aftereffect, as of lightning;
   bolt.
6. Mineralogy the line of powder obtained by scratching a mineral or rubbing it upon a hard, rough white surface, often differing in color from the mineral in the mass, and serving as an important distinguishing character.
7. [Plant Pathol.]
   • Plant Diseases an elongated, narrow, superficial lesion on stems or leaf veins, becoming brown and necrotic.
   • Plant Diseases any disease characterized by such lesions.
8. blue streak. See blue streak. 

v.t. 

9. to mark with a streak or streaks;
   form streaks on:
   sunlight streaking the water with gold; frost streaking the windows.
10. to lighten or color (strands of hair) for contrastive effect.
11. to dispose, arrange, smear, spread, etc., in the form of a streak or streaks:
    to streak cold germs on a slide for microscopic study.

v.i. 

12. to become streaked.
13. to run, go, or work rapidly.
14. to flash, as lightning.
15. to make a sudden dash in public while naked, esp. as a prank.

• bef. 1000; (noun, nominal) Middle English streke, akin to strike, Old English strica stroke, line, mark; cognate with German Strich, Gothic striks stroke, Latin strigil strigil; (verb, verbal) late Middle English streken to cross out, derivative of the noun, nominal (akin to strike, stroke¹)

streaked•ly  (strēkt′lē, strē′kid lē), adv.  streaked′ness, n. 
streak′er, n. 
streak′like′, adj. 
Synonyms

• 3. cast, touch, element, trace.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

streak / striːk/ noun

1. a long thin mark, stripe, or trace of some contrasting colour
2. (of lightning) a sudden flash
3. an element or trace, as of some quality or characteristic
4. a strip, vein, or layer
5. a short stretch or run, esp of good or bad luck
6. an act or the practice of running naked through a public place

verb

1. (transitive) to mark or daub with a streak or streaks
2. (intransitive) to form streaks or become streaked
3. (intransitive) to move rapidly in a straight line
4. (intransitive) to run naked through a crowd of people in a public place in order to shock or amuse them

Etymology: Old English strica, related to Old Frisian strike, Old High German strih, Norwegian, Swedish strika

streaked adjective

ˈstreaker noun

ˈstreakˌlike adjective

streak / striːk/ noun

1. a variant spelling of strake2