stretcher

[ strech-er ]

/ ˈstrɛtʃ ər /

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.

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?

Question 1 of 11

Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

crow

piranha

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-timed, stress ulcers, stress urinary incontinence, 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. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for stretcher

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
On Lakes, fishing from a boat, you may have six or eight, or even more flies upon a stretcher.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland
Beaver are split but stretched round and should be left in the hoop or stretcher for several days.
Fur Farming|A. R. Harding
Already the Indians were preparing a stretcher out of blankets and two saplings.
The Patrol of the Sun Dance Trail|Ralph Connor
Plank, standing beside the stretcher, raised his head, listening to the ambulance arriving at full speed.
The Fighting Chance|Robert W. Chambers
All right, said Florence complacently, but now please cant I be carried on a stretcher?
Winona of the Camp Fire|Margaret Widdemer

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

Medical definitions for stretcher

stretcher

[ strĕch′ər ]

n.

A litter, usually of canvas stretched over a frame, used to transport the sick, wounded, or dead.

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

stretcher

noun

verb (used with object)

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

Origin of stretcher

Words nearby stretcher

Example sentences from the Web for stretcher

British Dictionary definitions for stretcher

noun

verb (tr)

Medical definitions for stretcher

n.

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

stretcher

noun

verb (used with object)

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

Origin of stretcher

Words nearby stretcher

Words related to stretcher

Example sentences from the Web for stretcher

British Dictionary definitions for stretcher

noun

verb (tr)

Medical definitions for stretcher

n.