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Iran flagFarhad
Strong Hi I'm confused by the meaning of strong!does ' strong' mean powerful in this sentence? Hattie's data points to the conclusion that there are several zebra populations adopting different behavior. the first, like the vast majority of the the Okavango zebras, take it easy, spending the entire year by the river. the second group, 15000-20000 strong, work a bit harder

Answers · 7

2
Strong in this case means "of the specified number" and not "powerful." It is used after a number to indicate the size of a group. Reference: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/strong
2
My friend I am just a learner, so I am not an authority. But from my experience I can tell you that when 'strong' comes after a number, as in your example, it merely emphasizes the number. For example, the fortress was besieged by an angry mob of 5,000 strong men and women or Genghis Khan's army included 1,50,000 strong cavalry apart from 2,00,000 foot soldiers. So, your sentence suggests that this particular group of zebras with 15000-20000 members is relatively or surprisingly large! I hope your query is answered.
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It just means that there are 15000-20000, or have the power of 15000-20000. "The army is 10,000 men strong."

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