Words similar to straining

Example sentences for: straining

How can you use “straining” in a sentence? Here are some example sentences to help you improve your vocabulary:

Baffled and disoriented, we pick our way among these versions of the truth, straining for a synthesis that would permit some hope for the couple's future.
The most poignant parts of her books detail the pressures Scarpetta faces as an executive who's responsible for the welfare of her subordinates but under ruthless pressure to deliver results; the impossibility of sorting through overwhelming floods of information and straining for an educated guess; the sadness of a life lived in helicopters and planes rather than in hotels; the inadequacy of colleagues who function like family but aren't.
Michigan is also celebrated as the "Water Wonderland," because it has "four times as much water-covered area as any state," a curious boast, giving the impression that by the second paragraph, Dunbar is straining to find nice things to say.
In Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald , noting that the commitment of "a mere 2,000 troops" to East Timor is already seriously straining the country's defense budget, called for a large increase in its defense capability.
"Hi, general," Johnson says, straining to be polite.