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
a single dried stem of straw
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 also the straw that breaks the camel's back
the last problem in a series of problems that finally makes you give up, get angry etc:
Making me work late on Friday was the last straw.
to be trying everything you can to succeed, even though the things you are doing are not likely to help or work
5 British English
a sign of what might happen in the future:
There have been a few straws in the wind suggesting things might be getting a little better.
6 American English
a weak opponent or imaginary argument that can easily be defeated