1 [mass noun] dried stalks of grain, used especially as fodder or as material for thatching, packing, or weaving: [as modifier]:a straw hat
[count noun] a single dried stalk of grain:the tramp sat chewing a straw
a pale yellow colour like that of straw.
2a thin hollow tube of paper or plastic for sucking drink from a glass or bottle.
clutch (or grasp or catch) at straws
be in such a desperate situation as to resort to even the most unlikely means of salvation.
[from the proverb a drowning man will clutch at a straw]
draw the short straw
be the unluckiest of a group of people, especially in being chosen to perform an unpleasant task.
draw straws
draw lots.
the last (or final) straw
a further difficulty or annoyance, typically minor in itself but coming on top of a series of difficulties, that makes a situation unbearable:his affair was the last straw
[from the proverb the last straw breaks the (laden) camel's back]
not care (or give) a straw (or two straws)
not have the slightest concern about:you don’t care a straw what I think
a straw in the wind
chiefly British a slight hint of future developments.