outstretch

[ out-strech ]

/ ˌaʊtˈstrɛtʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR outstretch ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to stretch forth; extend: to outstretch one's hand in welcome.

to stretch out; expand: The rising population has outstretched the city.

to stretch beyond: His behavior outstretches my patience.

Nearby words

Origin of outstretch

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at out-, stretch

Related formsout·stretch·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for outstretched

Before we could pull away they paddled over and with outstretched hands uttered a single English word: “money.”
A Little Too Off the Beaten Path in Burma|Katya Cengel|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He escorts me down the stairs, out the door, and we stand for a moment beneath the outstretched arms of the giant elms.
The Stacks: The True Greatness of Muhammad Ali|Peter Richmond|February 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I reached over to grab his outstretched hand but as our fingers were about to touch, I was engulfed in darkness.
Swallowed by a Hippo|Justin Green|May 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Dropping his rifle, he approached his dog with outstretched arms.
The Whelps of the Wolf|George Marsh

In the hour of his need it had been neither religion nor philosophy, but the outstretched hand, that had helped.
The Ancient Law|Ellen Glasgow
Old Jerry stood with his outstretched hand poised in midair while he realized that his chance shot had gone home.
Once to Every Man|Larry Evans
And under Kori's outstretched arm, so close as almost to brush against his uniformed legs, had stolen Thorn.
The Radiant Shell|Paul Ernst
That outstretched, mocking hand—was it what the abstainers called the "demon of drink?"
A Republic Without a President and Other Stories|Herbert Ward

British Dictionary definitions for outstretched

outstretch

/ (ˌaʊtˈstrɛtʃ) /

verb (tr)

to extend or expand; stretch out

to stretch or extend beyond

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for outstretched