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.

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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