stretch

Plural: stretches

Noun

• a large and unbroken expanse or distance
  • "a stretch of highway"
  • "a stretch of clear water"
• the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
• a straightaway section of a racetrack
• exercise designed to extend the limbs and muscles to their full extent
• extension to or beyond the ordinary limit
  • "running at full stretch"
  • "by no stretch of the imagination"
  • "beyond any stretch of his understanding"
• an unbroken period of time during which you do something
  • "there were stretches of boredom"
  • "he did a stretch in the federal penitentiary"
• the capacity for being stretched
• An act of stretching.
• The ability to lengthen when pulled.
• A course of thought which diverts from straightforward logic, or requires extraordinary belief or exaggeration.
• A segment of a journey or route.
• A segment or length of material.
• A walk.
• A quick pitching delivery used when runners are on base where the pitcher slides his leg instead of lifting it.
• A long reach in the direction of the ball with a foot remaining on the base by a first baseman in order to catch the ball sooner.
• Term of address for a tall person.
• The homestretch, the final straight section of the track leading to the finish.
• A length of time.
• A length of time.
• Extended daylight hours, especially said of the evening in springtime when compared to the shorter winter days.
• A length of time.
• The period of the season between the trade deadline and the beginning of the playoffs.
• A length of time.
• A jail or prison term.
• A length of time.
• A jail or prison term.
• A jail or prison term of one year's duration.
• A length of time.
• A single uninterrupted sitting; a turn.
• Ellipsis of stretch limousine.

Verb

Verb Forms: stretched, stretching, stretches

• To extend or draw out to full length.
• occupy a large, elongated area
  • "The park stretched beneath the train line"
• extend one's limbs or muscles, or the entire body
  • "Stretch your legs!"
• extend or stretch out to a greater or the full length
  • "stretch out that piece of cloth"
• become longer by being stretched and pulled
  • "The fabric stretches"
• make long or longer by pulling and stretching
  • "stretch the fabric"
• lie down comfortably
  • "To enjoy the picnic, we stretched out on the grass"
• pull in opposite directions
  • "During the Inquisition, the torturers would stretch their victims on a rack"
• extend the scope or meaning of; often unduly
  • "Stretch the limits"
  • "stretch my patience"
  • "stretch the imagination"
• corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones
• increase in quantity or bulk by adding a cheaper substance
  • "stretch the soup by adding some more cream"
• extend one's body or limbs
  • "Let's stretch for a minute--we've been sitting here for over 3 hours"
• To lengthen by pulling.
• To lengthen when pulled.
• To pull tight.
• To get more use than expected from a limited resource.
• To make inaccurate by exaggeration.
• To extend physically, especially from limit point to limit point.
• To extend one’s limbs or another part of the body, for example in order to improve the elasticity of one's muscles.
• To extend to a limit point
• To increase.
• To stretch the truth; to exaggerate.
• To sail by the wind under press of canvas.
• To execute by hanging.
• To make great demands on the capacity or resources of something.

Adjective Satellite

• having an elongated seating area
  • "a stretch limousine"
• easily stretched
  • "stretch hosiery"

Examples

• a man apt to stretch in his report of facts
• a stretch of cloth
• Cats stretch with equal ease and agility beyond the point that breaks a man on the rack.
• First, stretch the skin over the frame of the drum.
• He did a seven-year stretch in jail.
• He managed to stretch his two-letter word into a surprising seven-letter bingo.
• Her bizarre explanation really stretches credulity.
• His mustache stretched all the way to his sideburns.
• I always stretch my muscles before exercising.
• I managed to stretch my coffee supply a few more days.
• I stretched the rubber band until it almost broke.
• I was right in the middle of a stretch when the phone rang.
• It was an easy trip except for the last stretch, which took forever.
• It's a bit of a stretch to call Boris Karloff a comedian.
• It's a tough stretch of road in the winter, especially without chains.
• That rubber band has quite a bit of stretch.
• The beach stretches from Cresswell to Amble.
• The rubber band stretched almost to the breaking point.
• The ship stretched to the eastward.
• There is a grand stretch in the evenings.
• To say crossing the street was brave is stretching the meaning of "brave" considerably.
• To say crossing the street was brave was quite a stretch.
• To say he's been to this park a million times is stretching the numbers. The true number is around 30 or 40.
• When the cat woke up, it yawned and stretched.

Synonyms

adulterate, debase, dilute, elongate, extend, load, reach, reaching, stint, stretch along, stretch out, stretchability, stretchiness, stretching, unfold, Guy Fawkes, forhang, hang, ketch, scrag, send to the scaffold, stretch, string up, truss, tuck up

Antonyms

shrink

Related Words

pandiculate

Anagrams of stretch