From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstrains of somethingstrains of somethingliterarySOUND the sound of music being played We sipped wine to the strains of Beethoven. → strain
Examples from the Corpus
strains of something• When Sabin developed his attenuated strains of polio he energetically pursued his goal of making them widely accepted as vaccine strains.• Protoplasts from different strains of plant have been joined, giving rise to a completely new variety blending characteristics from each parent.• I see little reason to prefer strains of lettuce, for instance, that are inherently poisonous to pests.• Resistant strains of bacteria were detected soon after the widespread introduction of penicillin in the 1940s.• And unusual strains of salmonella have increased too.• They were scared by the virulent strains of virus Salk insisted on using in his vaccine. 