strut
/stɹʌt/verb, noun
strut is spelled S-T-R-U-T: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,536th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, strut means “Of a peacock or other fowl: to stand or walk stiffly, with the tail erect and spread out” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in strut?
| Letters | 5: S-T-R-U-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.4 times per million words; the 23,536th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is strut?
Strut appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,536th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce strut?
- UK /stɹʌt/
- UK [stɹɐt]
- UK [stɹʊ̈t]
Strut has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-strut.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with strut?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as strut from its last stressed vowel (/ʌt/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: trust, sturt.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of strut
- struts present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- strutting participle, present
- strutted participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
- strout
- more strut comparative
- most strut superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does strut mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
Of a peacock or other fowl: to stand or walk stiffly, with the tail erect and spread out.
- 2
To walk haughtily or proudly with one's head held high.
He strutted about the yard, thinking himself master of all he surveyed.
- 3
To walk across or on (a stage or other place) haughtily or proudly.
- 4
obsoleteOften followed by out: to protuberate or stick out due to being full or swollen; to bulge, to swell.
- 5
obsoleteOften followed by out: to cause (something) to bulge, protrude, or swell.
- 6
To brace or support (something) by a strut or struts; to hold (something) in place or strengthen by a diagonal, transverse, or upright support.
- 7
To be attached diagonally or at a slant; also, to be bent at a sharp angle.
noun
- 1
A step or walk done stiffly and with the head held high, often due to haughtiness or pride; affected dignity in walking.
- 2
An instrument for adjusting the pleats of a ruff.
- 3
A beam or rod providing support.
- 4
An act of strutting (“bracing or supporting (something) by a strut or struts (sense 1); attaching diagonally; bending at a sharp angle”); specifically, deviation (of the spoke of a wheel) from the normal position.
adjective
- 1
obsoleteSwelling out due to being full; bulging, protuberant, swollen.
- 2
ScotlandobsoleteDrunk, intoxicated; fou.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Strut in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | herumstolzieren, sich aufplustern, stolzieren , paradieren , sich aufblähen , Stolzieren |
| Portuguese | pavonear , pavonear-se , protuberar , escora, esteio , escorar |
| French | parader, se pavaner , étai, support, hauban, jambe de force |
| Spanish | contonearse, pavonearse , puntal, riostra, tornapunta, pluma |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does strut come from?
The verb is derived from Middle English strouten, struten (“to bulge, swell; to protrude, stick out; to bluster, threaten; to object forcefully; to create a disturbance; to fight; to display one's clothes in a proud or vain manner”) [and other forms], from Old English strūtian (“to project out; stand out stiffly; to exert oneself, struggle”), from Proto-Germanic *strūtōną, *strūtijaną (“to be puffed up, swell”), from Proto-Indo-European *streudʰ- (“rigid, stiff”), from *(s)ter- (“firm; strong; rigid, stiff”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).