A string is a piece of thin cord or thick thread used to tie, hang, or attach things. You might use string to wrap a package, hang a picture, or fly a kite. String is thicker than sewing thread but thinner than rope, making it perfect for tasks that need flexibility and modest strength.

In music, a string is the thin wire or cord on an instrument that vibrates to make sound. Guitars, violins, and pianos all have strings. When you pluck or strike these strings, they vibrate at different speeds to create different notes. String instruments are instruments that make music this way.

In computer programming, a string is a sequence of characters, like letters, numbers, or symbols, that the computer treats as text. The word “hello” is a string, and so is “12345” when it's being used as text rather than as a mathematical number. Programmers work with strings constantly when creating websites, apps, and games.

People also use string as a verb meaning to thread things together, like stringing beads on a necklace, or to stretch something out, like stringing lights across a room. If something comes with no strings attached, it means there are no hidden conditions or obligations, like a gift given freely without expecting anything in return.