1
as in to extend
to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area
the dog had outstretched his legs and was lying across the width of the doorway
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to lengthen
to make longer
having outstretched our lunch break beyond all reason, we reluctantly headed back to work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of outstretch
The component sounds of Spanish words, cut down to two vowels and four consonants, are conveyed by whistling, the trick being to curl your fingers against your mouth with one finger outstretched, as if your hand were a gun.
—
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2020
And that’s Bell jogging in to score the winning run with both arms outstretched over his head to give the Diamondbacks their only world championship.
—Paul Gattis | Pgattis@al.com, al, 10 Jan. 2020
As Congress applauded the line, Pelosi stood, outstretched her arms, and clapped slowly and deliberately, as if the clap was more in jest than sincerity.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 23 Dec. 2019
While kicking around a soccer ball, the little princess took a few breaks to balance on one leg with her arms outstretched above her head.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE.com, 26 Nov. 2019
See All Example Sentences for outstretch
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2020
And that’s Bell jogging in to score the winning run with both arms outstretched over his head to give the Diamondbacks their only world championship.
—Paul Gattis | Pgattis@al.com, al, 10 Jan. 2020
As Congress applauded the line, Pelosi stood, outstretched her arms, and clapped slowly and deliberately, as if the clap was more in jest than sincerity.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 23 Dec. 2019
While kicking around a soccer ball, the little princess took a few breaks to balance on one leg with her arms outstretched above her head.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE.com, 26 Nov. 2019
See All Example Sentences for outstretch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outstretch
Verb
-
This year, Spirit Halloween is extending over 20 contracts to support the expansion of Spirit Christmas, now entering its second year.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
23 Oct. 2025
-
This would not have been the case had Wrexham’s longest winless start to an EFL season on home soil been extended to six games by Oxford on a night when the hosts played the final quarter of the match a man down following Callum Doyle’s red card.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Charlotte Tilbury only just launched at Amazon, but this best-selling liquid highlighter is already marked down, as is this Lancôme mascara that defines, volumizes, and lengthens lashes in one fell swoop.—
Clara McMahon,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
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His telomeres, protective caps on chromosomes, lengthened in space, only to shorten rapidly upon return.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
When a snowstorm blows up suddenly and socks in the entire area, Lester and Mike begin a search that soon expands with the aid of local neighbors and law enforcement.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
22 Oct. 2025
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The Functional Fabric Fair has also expanded its speaker programming to provide forward-thinking insights and solutions to current challenges.—
SJ Studio,
Sourcing Journal,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Food banks and pantries, meanwhile, have already seen an uptick in need but resources are stretched thin.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Plus, the legs are curved, providing more space to stretch out.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Billups was arrested less than nine hours after Portland’s season-opening season-opening loss at home, a game notably attended by the team’s current owner and a financier in the process of buying the franchise.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
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Rozier did not play in the Heat’s season-opening game on Wednesday night versus the Orlando Magic.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The cuts come after Chegg in May laid off 22% of its workforce, citing increasing adoption of AI.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
28 Oct. 2025
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With increasing space traffic from various nations and private companies, keeping tabs on potential collisions and threats becomes crucial.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Outstretch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outstretch. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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