stretcher

[ strech-er ]

/ ˈstrɛtʃ ər /

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See synonyms for stretcher on Thesaurus.com

noun

Medicine/Medical.

a kind of litter, often of canvas stretched on a frame, for carrying the sick, wounded, or dead.
a similar litter on wheels, adapted for use in ambulances and hospitals.

a person or thing that stretches.

any of various instruments for extending, widening, distending, etc.

a bar, beam, or fabricated material, serving as a tie or brace.

Masonry. a brick or stone laid in a wall so that its longer edge is exposed or parallel to the surface.Compare header (def. 5a).

a simple wooden framework on which the canvas for an oil painting is stretched.

Furniture.

a framework connecting and bracing the legs of a piece of furniture.
one member of this framework.

a crosspiece that is set athwart and near the bottom in a small boat, and against which the feet of a rower are braced.

one of the thin, sliding rods connecting the canopy and handle of an umbrella.

verb (used with object)

to stretch (canvas for a painting) on a stretcher.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of stretcher

First recorded in 1375–1425, stretcher is from the late Middle English word stretcher.See stretch, -er¹

Words nearby stretcher

stress position, stress test, stress-timed, stretch, stretch a point, stretcher, stretcher-bearer, stretchie, stretching course, stretch limo, stretch mark

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stretcher in a sentence

Using a helicopter with a stretcher attached, they picked me up from the ledge and flew me to nearby El Capitan Meadow, where they planned to transfer me to a larger helicopter that could transport me to a hospital in Fresno.
A Free Soloist Remembers His Yosemite Free Fall|Kevin Johnson|June 29, 2021|Outside Online
Logistical concerns like the availability of ammunition, or having a stretcher on hand to evacuate a wounded soldier, play key roles.
The new Mission Master XT is a massive military self-driving pack mule|Rob Verger|June 25, 2021|Popular-Science
They wouldn’t need to restrain him in a stretcher, Calero told his parents.
Crisis counselors are being hailed as police alternatives. It’s too heavy a burden, some say.|Rebecca Tan|June 16, 2021|Washington Post
With testimony set to begin, Pearl Farlow made a dramatic entrance on a stretcher.
In Texas, a struggle to memorialize a brutal lynching as resistance grows to teaching historical racism|Sydney Trent|June 3, 2021|Washington Post

The gentleman seemed to recover and after they took him out on a stretcher the show went on.
Rehoboth Beach welcomes Christopher Peterson back|Peter Rosenstein|May 4, 2021|Washington Blade
And the next time his friend saw Moses, it was online; his bloody body was slapped on a stretcher.
Alleged Cop Killer’s Blood-Soaked Screenplay|M.L. Nestel|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They carry it like a stretcher, though they're missing one stretcher-bearer.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq|Nathan Bradley Bethea|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Paramedics now headed into the shop with a stretcher to aid the gunman.
Brooklyn Shooting Hits Close to Bill de Blasio’s Park Slope Home|Michael Daly|July 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was a stretcher near their position— someone had brought it out earlier and leaned it up near the truck.
Ty Carter Awarded Medal of Honor|David Eisler, Jake Tapper|August 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Prep work now short- circuited, Carter kicked the ammo cans out of the way and snatched up the stretcher.
Ty Carter Awarded Medal of Honor|David Eisler, Jake Tapper|August 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They dragged him back clear of any further falls, and improvised a stretcher on which to carry home his now unconscious body.
The Underworld|James C. Welsh
The stretcher-bearers brought the latter in, and I sent for the doctor at once, but he could only pronounce him to be dead also!
Letters of Lt.-Col. George Brenton Laurie|George Brenton Laurie
Four officers carried the stretcher, and about six others followed behind.
Letters of Lt.-Col. George Brenton Laurie|George Brenton Laurie
Well away from the enemy the soldier is borne on a stretcher, sewn up in his blankets and wrapped in a flag.
Letters of Lt.-Col. George Brenton Laurie|George Brenton Laurie
One Palmer and two small hackle Flies on your stretcher give a tolerable good chance.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland

British Dictionary definitions for stretcher

stretcher

/ (ˈstrɛtʃə) /

noun

a device for transporting the ill, wounded, or dead, consisting of a frame covered by canvas or other material

a strengthening often decorative member joining the legs of a chair, table, etc

the wooden frame on which canvas is stretched and fixed for oil painting

a tie beam or brace used in a structural framework

a brick or stone laid horizontally with its length parallel to the length of a wallCompare header (def. 4)

rowing a fixed board across a boat on which an oarsman braces his feet

Australian and NZ a camp bed

slang an exaggeration or lie

verb (tr)

to transport (a sick or injured person) on a stretcher

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

stretcher

Origin of stretcher

Words nearby stretcher

Words related to stretcher

How to use stretcher in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stretcher