What does streaked mean?
“Streaked” most often describes something crossed by narrow lines, bands, or contrasting strands. It may refer to hair with lighter highlights, a sky patterned with pale light, or a surface marked with paint. As the past tense and past participle of “streak,” it also describes rapid movement: a runner “streaked across the track,” or a car “streaked through the night.” The word’s visual associations are strong. A streak is both a thin mark and the brief trail left by something moving quickly, so the verb can suggest speed, intensity, or a sudden flash. In its participial use, “streaked with” is especially common: a wall “streaked with graffiti,” a sky “streaked with color,” or a face “streaked with sweat.” The term is natural in both British and American English and is especially familiar in descriptions of highlighted hair, fast movement, and dramatic light.
Marked with thin lines or bands; having streaks, especially in the appearance of hair or a surface.
"Her streaked brown hair caught the light."
When describing hair, “streaked” usually means that some strands are lighter or differently colored than the rest.
The past tense and past participle of streak.
"The meteor streaked across the night sky."
The verb is transitive when describing marks, as in “the sky was streaked with cloud,” and intransitive when describing rapid movement.
One bright streak can transform a surface: a line of color, a flash of speed, or a trace that reveals what happened.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of streaked
The modern word develops from Middle English streken, from Old English strica, meaning a stripe or streak. Old English strica was related to strican, “to strike,” reflecting an older sense involving a mark made by a stroke. The broader family includes words such as stripe, strip, and strike, all associated with the same Indo-European root meaning to draw or mark in a narrow line.
Related word forms
How streaked is actually used
As an adjective, “streaked” commonly describes hair with lighter strands or a surface crossed by narrow bands. As a verb form, it can indicate rapid movement, as in “the car streaked down the road,” or describe something marked with thin lines or another substance.