streak

Universal Words noun, verb noun 1 a long thin mark or line that is a different colour from the surface it is on: There was a streak of blood on his face. * streaks of grey in her hair * dirty streaks on the window * streaks of sunlight 2 a part of a person's character, especially an unpleasant part: a ruthless / vicious / mean streak * a streak of cruelty 3 a series of successes or failures, especially in a sport or in gambling: a streak of good luck * to hit (= have) a winning streak * to be on a losing streak * a lucky / unlucky streak verb 1 [VN] ~ sth (with sth) to mark or cover sth with streaks: Tears streaked her face. * His face was streaked with mud. * She's had her hair streaked (= had special chemicals put on her hair so that it has attractive coloured lines in it). * The sunset streaked the sky with brilliant colours. 2 [V+adv./prep.] to move very fast in a particular direction: A car pulled out and streaked off down the road. * She streaked home in under 54 seconds. 3 [V] [usually +adv./prep.] (informal) to run through a public place with no clothes on as a way of getting attention: Erica became famous for streaking across a cricket pitch.