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

Certainly offensive puck luck was part of the story for the power play down the stretch; the club converted nearly 24 percent of its power-play shots over the final 25 games. — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

But this week the Braves are giving the right-hander a little extra time to rest and prepare for the stretch run. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Dozens of record highs have been broken since the stretch of extreme heat began. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026

Paige Bueckers scored 21 points and brought the Wings back down the stretch. — ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for the stretch

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