stretch

American  

[strech] / strɛtʃ /

verb (used with object)

• stretches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stretched,
  past participle,  past
• stretching
  present participle

1. to draw out or extend (oneself, a body, limbs, wings, etc.) to the full length or extent (often followed byout ).

   to stretch oneself out on the ground.

2. to hold out, reach forth, or extend (one's arm, head, etc.).

3. to extend, spread, or place (something) so as to reach from one point or place to another.

   to stretch a rope across a road.

4. to draw tight or taut.

   to stretch the strings of a violin.

5. to lengthen, widen, distend, or enlarge by tension.

   to stretch a rubber band.

   Antonyms:

   shrink, shorten

6. to draw out, extend, or enlarge unduly.

   The jacket was stretched at the elbows.

7. to extend, force, or make serve beyond the normal or proper limits; strain.

   to stretch the imagination; to stretch the facts; to stretch food to feed extra guests; to stretch money to keep within a budget.

8. to extend or strain (oneself ) to the utmost, as by intense exertion; tax.

9. to increase the quantity of (a beverage, food, paint, etc.) by dilution or admixing.

   They caught the bartender stretching the gin with water.

10. Radio and Television. to prolong or slow down (action or pace) in order not to end too early.

    to stretch a show; to stretch the action two minutes.

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verb (used without object)

• stretches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stretched,
  past participle,  past
• stretching
  present participle

1. to recline at full length (usually followed byout ).

   to stretch out on a couch.

2. to extend the hand or to reach, as for something.

3. to extend over a distance or area or in a particular direction.

   The forest stretches for miles.

4. to extend in time.

   His memory stretches back to his early childhood.

5. to stretch oneself by extending the limbs and lengthening the muscles to the utmost.

   to stretch and yawn.

6. to become stretched, or admit of being stretched, to greater length, width, etc., as any elastic or ductile material.

   Antonyms:

   shrink, shorten

7. Radio and Television. to reduce the pace or slow down the action of a radio or television program.

noun

• stretches
  plural

1. an act or instance of stretching.

2. the state of being stretched.

3. a continuous length, distance, tract, or expanse.

   a stretch of meadow.

   Synonyms:

   compass, reach, range

4. Horse Racing. the backstretch or homestretch of a racetrack.

5. Baseball. a short windup, usually used to keep base runners from taking too long a lead, in which the pitcher starts the pitching motion with hands together at the waist, raises them to or above the head, brings them back to the waist, and, after a momentary pause, delivers the ball.

6. an extent in time; duration.

   for a stretch of ten years.

7. elasticity or capacity for extension.

8. Slang. a term of imprisonment.

   He's doing a stretch in the pen.

9. the act or fact of stretching or extending something beyond reasonable or proper limits.

   You wouldn't call her a genius by any stretch of the imagination. It's quite a stretch for me to believe his story.

10. (initial capital letter) a nickname for a tall, lanky person.

adjective

1. made of synthetic or composite yarn having a sufficiently low denier or having been subjected to any of several special mechanical treatments to permit increased elasticity.

   stretch girdle; stretch pants.

2. (of yarn) modified or twisted so as to afford high elasticity.

3. Also stretched. of or relating to a conveyance, as a limousine or airliner, whose seating area is expanded to carry more passengers or afford greater legroom and to allow space for other comforts and amenities.

stretch British  

/ strɛtʃ /

verb

1. to draw out or extend or be drawn out or extended in length, area, etc

2. to extend or be extended to an undue degree, esp so as to distort or lengthen permanently

3. to extend (the limbs, body, etc)

4. (tr) to reach or suspend (a rope, etc) from one place to another

5. (tr) to draw tight; tighten

6. to reach or hold (out); extend

7. to extend in time

   the course stretched over three months

8. (intr; foll by for, over, etc) (of a region, etc) to extend in length or area

9. (intr) (esp of a garment) to be capable of expanding, as to a larger size

   socks that will stretch

10. (tr) to put a great strain upon or extend to the limit

11. to injure (a muscle, tendon, ligament, etc) by means of a strain or sprain

12. to make do with (limited resources)

    to stretch one's budget

13. informal (tr) to expand or elaborate (a story, etc) beyond what is credible or acceptable

    that's stretching it a bit

14. (tr; often passive) to extend, as to the limit of one's abilities or talents

15. archaic to hang or be hanged by the neck

16. 1. to make a concession or exception not usually made

    2. to exaggerate

17. to take a walk, esp after a period of inactivity

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noun

1. the act of stretching or state of being stretched

2. a large or continuous expanse or distance

   a stretch of water

3. extent in time, length, area, etc

4. 1. capacity for being stretched, as in some garments

   2. ( as modifier )

      stretch pants

5. horse racing the section or sections of a racecourse that are straight, esp the final straight section leading to the finishing line

6. slang a term of imprisonment

7. 1. with some difficulty; by making a special effort

   2. if really necessary or in extreme circumstances

   3. at one time

stretch Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing stretch

• at a stretch
• by any stretch

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Synonym Usage

See lengthen.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• stretchability
  noun
• prestretch
  verb (used with object)
• nonstretchable
  adjective
• stretchable
  adjective
• unstretchable
  adjective
• unstretched
  adjective
• well-stretched
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• stretches
  plural

Participles

• stretching
  present
• stretched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• stretch
  simple
• stretches
  simple
• have stretched
  perfect
• has stretched
  perfect
• am stretching
  progressive
• are stretching
  progressive
• is stretching
  progressive
• have been stretching
  perfect progressive
• has been stretching
  perfect progressive

Past

• stretched
  simple
• had stretched
  perfect
• was stretching
  progressive
• were stretching
  progressive
• had been stretching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will stretch
  simple
• will have stretched
  perfect
• will be stretching
  progressive
• will have been stretching
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of stretch

First recorded before 900; Middle English strecchen (verb), Old English streccan; cognate with Dutch strekken, German strecken; akin to Old English stræc “firm, hard,” Middle Dutch strac “stiff.” See stare, stark

Explanation

To stretch is to extend or lengthen something beyond the normal length. You stretched both your vacation and the truth when you called out of work on Monday saying your flight home from Ibiza was canceled. Stretch is a word that has many great usages. The sense of extending one’s limbs came about circa 1200. Four hundred years later brought the phrase "stretch your legs," meaning take a walk. Don’t walk too vigorously, though, or you could stretch a muscle. The word can also be used as a noun, meaning an expanse, as in, "Looking toward the horizon, the thirsty man saw an endless stretch of sand."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stretch stretches stretched stretching

It’s no secret that older Americans are looking for ways to stretch their retirement dollars.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Nicholson-White said the boy's school attendance deteriorated and he was not in school at all for an 11-day stretch in September.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Stocks tied to the artificial-intelligence trade dropped, extending their bumpy stretch ahead of Wednesday’s all-important earnings update from Nvidia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

On the way to their destination, they turn onto a two-lane road that seems to stretch on forever, with the way they came now blocked by dense forest.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

“Who remembers the words to the Swanburne song?” she called out gaily as she swung her legs over the edge of the cot and gave her arms a good stretch.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Parton gradually began to step away from major touring, saying she no longer wanted to spend long stretches on the road.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Paramount last week demanded that Bonta and the other states post a $1.88-billion bond if the case stretches to March, which is when the judge has scheduled the trial.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

During those house-sitting stretches in the neighborhood, I started feeling, embarrassingly quickly, like something of a local.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

Several lawmakers have voiced concern about reports of a lack of food and personal supplies aboard the carrier, as well as plumbing backups, as the carrier’s deployment stretches past 250 days.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Joey is only sixteen, but she’s pleased with the life that stretches before her—a road that many women have traveled before.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Valuations today are so stretched that it may not take much more straw to break the camel’s back.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

An almost unbroken line of slipways, cranes and workshops employing thousands of workers once stretched for miles along the south bank of the lower Clyde.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Apart from one wild slog early in his innings, McKinney batted with a classical elegance while Rhodes was content to play the supporting role in a stand which stretched Durham's lead towards 300.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

The JSerra Girls Flag Football team stretched its season-opening winning streak to eight straight games with a resounding 41-6 triumph over the Edison Chargers in a nonleague battle on Thursday at JSerra Catholic High School.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

Abby stretched her arm up, feeling for another handhold.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Thomas Gernon, Professor of Earth Science at the University of Southampton and lead author of the study, explained that the Grand Canyon preserves a geological history stretching back about two billion years.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

The group today remains in control of the capital along with a swath of the rest of the country stretching along the Red Sea coast.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

When it comes to fitness and longevity, cardio, strength training and stretching have long gotten the spotlight as the go-to approaches for optimizing our health span and lifespan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Indonesia experiences frequent earthquakes due to its location in the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

I hang my head, stretching out my neck.

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

Related Words

• cover
• develop
• draw
• expand
• fill
• go
• grow
• lengthen
• open
• pull
• reach
• run
• span
• spread
• strain
• swell
• unfold
• widen