outstretched 1 of 2

adjective

as in extensive

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outstretched

2 of 2

verb

past tense of outstretch
1
as in extended
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lengthened
to make longer having outstretched our lunch break beyond all reason, we reluctantly headed back to work

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of outstretched
Adjective
Replays determined a fan’s outstretched hands aided the ball over the left-field wall. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026 Son bent a low shot from 24 yards out past the outstretched hand of goalkeeper Angus Gunn and inside the near post to open the scoring in the 34th minute. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026 Ty France then punched an opposite-field double over the outstretched glove of right fielder Esteury Ruiz with two outs in the sixth to bring in Dustin Harris, who was aboard on a one-out opposite field double to left. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026 The English midfielder’s silhouette with outstretched arms serves as his signature logo along with a script featuring his initials. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026 An outstretched hand After reciting the confessional, the Ne’ilah service adds one more prayer, not used in other services. — Reuven Kimelman, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026 The linesman had just flagged Pablo for offside, after his outstretched left leg had failed to get on the end of Bowen’s cross. — Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 No, the quintessential Townshend power sign was his giant circular windmill strum, arm outstretched and twirling, gathering centrifugal force to slam that pick up through the guitar strings, creating the loudest chord humanly possible. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026 The ring of material surrounding Sgr A* would be about four degrees across—about half the apparent size of your outstretched fist. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outstretched
  1. extensive
  2. extended
  3. lengthened
  4. far-reaching
  5. expanded
  6. stretched
  7. longish
  8. opened
Adjective
  • California sought to adopt a price cap law this year as well, though the bill, which faced extensive lobbying from ticket resale platform StubHub, had failed.
    — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Explain when your engagement is too extensive, when another type of provider may be a better fit and what responsibilities remain with the client.
    — Dennis Kirwan, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of extensive
Verb
  • French newspaper Le Monde reported that hackers also extended the defrost cycle in some freezers and cold-storage rooms from one hour to eight hours to delay alarms.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Reyes said the 24-hour temporary order could be extended to 14 days if necessary.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of extended
Verb
  • Avoid blouses that end at the widest part of the thigh to keep your silhouette lengthened and balanced.
    — Kelsey Stewart, Glamour, 16 Sep. 2026
  • As the researchers lengthened the fall, this phase increased—a behavior in line with the theory.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of lengthened
Adjective
  • Advance has the backing of major Republican figures and donors, but its shadowy approach has also faced criticism for condensing complicated policy into ballot measures that may have impacts that are more far-reaching than voters understand.
    — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026
  • El Niño is a natural climate pattern that has far-reaching impacts across the planet, potentially affecting hundreds of millions of people.
    — Lauren Sommer, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of far-reaching
Verb
  • Degroote says Fox acquired the format after executives watched the French adaptation, which significantly expanded the scale of the original Norwegian concept.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Hyun, who has made AI films including Crypto Man and Genfluencer, expanded on this topic.
    — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of expanded
Verb
  • With the militia stretched thin, Riyadh sees an opportunity to defeat it or force it back to negotiations.
    — Faisal J. Abbas, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • By Wednesday afternoon, the line for visitor passes to get on base for the ship’s homecoming stretched several hundred feet, snaking across the lawn in front of the building and doubling back on itself.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of stretched
Adjective
  • Throughout the event, a guy bounds around, introducing the recordists, then crouching to cue their recordings on a laptop, his dark, longish hair under a black dad cap bearing the club’s name.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The errand conveniently provided the opportunity for a longish highway test of Lexus’ newest luxury people-mover.
    — Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2026
Definition of longish
Verb
  • Her most recent work, Elegies (2023), a documentary about Hong Kong poetry, opened Hong Kong International Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Horse Awards.
    — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Portrait Roma, the intimate flagship of the Portrait Collection, opened in 2006.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of opened

Browse Nearby Words

outstretch
outstretched
outstretches
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Cite this Entry

“Outstretched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outstretched. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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