From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstrawstraw /strɔː $ strɒː/ ●●○ S3 noun 1 a) [uncountable]HBPTA the dried stems of wheat or similar plants that animals sleep on, and that are used for making things such as baskets, hats etc → hay a straw hat b) [countable]HBP a single dried stem of straw2 
[countable]DFD a thin tube of paper or plastic for sucking up liquid from a bottle or a cup She sipped her lemonade through a straw.3 → the last straw4 → be clutching/grasping at straws5 → straw in the wind6 → straw man → draw the short straw at draw1(29)
[countable]DFD a thin tube of paper or plastic for sucking up liquid from a bottle or a cup She sipped her lemonade through a straw.3 → the last straw4 → be clutching/grasping at straws5 → straw in the wind6 → straw man → draw the short straw at draw1(29)Examples from the Corpus
straw• Have her seal a straw in another bag in the same way you did the first one.• It is looking at using other products, such as straw, to help make Yellow Page directories.• A regular item was the purchase of carrots, straw, oats etc. for the animals.• A piece of straw drifted to the ground.• The boats are made mostly of rice straw, woven and bound together.• At the point where the air and water meet, the straw appears to bend.• If you use straw as bedding for farm animals, generally speaking you improve the welfare of those animals.• They include using straw to make compost, paper ... and even chocolate cake.Origin straw Old English streaw 