the stretch

noun

: the final straight part of a racecourse before the finish line

the horses are in the (final) stretch

—often used figuratively

She's in the final stretch. The baby's due next month.

They will wind up the season with a winning record having won some crucial games down the stretch.

Examples of the stretch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the seawater from record high tides came anyway, flowing across the neighborhood like a river, flooding homes and businesses along the stretch of Pacific Coast Highway. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

The dress evoked the diva energy of the Old Hollywood era, with each bead hand-sewn onto the stretch mesh fabric. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026

Thursday clears out with sun and a high of 72 degrees, but Friday is the real showstopper — temperatures surge to around 75 degrees, nearly 13 degrees above the late-October average and the warmest day of the stretch. — CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026

Ace Bailey added 19 points and rookie Darryn Peterson had 18 but didn't play down the stretch or in overtime. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for the stretch

• etch
• fetch
• fletch
• ketch
• sketch
• vetch
• wretch