as in extensive
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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Recent Examples of outstretched
Alyssa N. Salcedo, jsonline.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Wey returned the pass and Muller drove to the net flipping a shot over Svensson Traff’s outstretched glove.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
The veteran sharpshooter received a pass from fellow newcomer Tyus Jones, took one dribble and drilled an in-rhythm triple over the outstretched arms of Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Then Bad Bunny swooped in, the award in his outstretched hands, and handed it to the child.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
Almost immediately, Ceili changes her tune, trying a piece of the special food in Albert's outstretched hand.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
Lutz hit it well, but the ball grazed off an outstretched right hand, pushing it wide left — Taylor’s right hand.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
By sitting on a rotating stool with weights in their outstretched hands, students emulate a figure skater by pulling their arms inward and spinning much faster as their mass moves closer to their axis of rotation.
—Amy Pope, The Conversation, 2 Feb. 2026
Texas Tech guard Snudda Collins, who led all scorers with 28 points, came down the next possession and hit a three-pointer over the outstretched arms of Hunter for the go-ahead basket.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
For Marta Alamo, unity looks like a white dove with outstretched wings.
—Alyssa N. Salcedo, jsonline.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Wey returned the pass and Muller drove to the net flipping a shot over Svensson Traff’s outstretched glove.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
The veteran sharpshooter received a pass from fellow newcomer Tyus Jones, took one dribble and drilled an in-rhythm triple over the outstretched arms of Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Then Bad Bunny swooped in, the award in his outstretched hands, and handed it to the child.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
Almost immediately, Ceili changes her tune, trying a piece of the special food in Albert's outstretched hand.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
Lutz hit it well, but the ball grazed off an outstretched right hand, pushing it wide left — Taylor’s right hand.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
By sitting on a rotating stool with weights in their outstretched hands, students emulate a figure skater by pulling their arms inward and spinning much faster as their mass moves closer to their axis of rotation.
—Amy Pope, The Conversation, 2 Feb. 2026
Texas Tech guard Snudda Collins, who led all scorers with 28 points, came down the next possession and hit a three-pointer over the outstretched arms of Hunter for the go-ahead basket.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outstretched
Adjective
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These collaborations are intended to drive breakthroughs from concept to real-world deployment, leveraging ORNL’s unique assets such as its microgrid testbeds, digital twin environments, and extensive energy science capabilities.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Israel has begun taking extensive precautions, including the closing of its airspace and restrictions on civilian movement.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Penn State extended its lead to 79-74 after a 15-foot jumper by McMiller.—
From wire reports,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Sanchez started with a sheer white base for this extra-long manicure and finished it with a striking silver chrome tip, extended into a delicate line design running down each nail.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Holding periods across buyout funds have lengthened, and many assets remain fundamentally strong but difficult to exit at acceptable valuations.—
Sunaina Sinha Haldea,
Fortune,
14 Feb. 2026
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While that was to be only three weeks, Mohammadi’s time out of prison lengthened, possibly as activists and Western powers pushed Iran to keep her free.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Skyway Cruise Port would not only pose an obvious and significant environmental threat but would have far-reaching negative economic impacts.—
Justin Tramble,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The Kentucky Republican is no stranger to breaking ranks with his GOP leadership, arguing against far-reaching tariffs that could lead prices to skyrocket.—
Sarah Davis,
The Hill,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And because everything must be swept up, co-opted and expanded upon by AI, the repeating of the offensive word wasn’t just confined to the BBC’s airing of the award show.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Working with Planning and Economic Development, the council has adjusted and expanded eligibility guidelines.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The findings come as Americans grapple with an affordability crisis that has stretched across a range of basic expenses, including food, electricity, insurance, health care and housing.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Trump has walked all over Congress but prior presidents of both parties have stretched the bounds of emergency powers.—
Karen Tumulty,
Washington Post,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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When the front door opens, they’re greeted by an androgynous person with longish hair, thick eyebrows and a deep voice.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
2 Aug. 2025
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Pontiac’s Firebird had a longish life in car years, with four generations spanning 1967 to 2002.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Ryan Gerard, 26, opened with consecutive second-place finishes.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
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The seventh-place Rams (17-10, 8-8) opened the game 1 of 10 on 3s and finished with 13, the most allowed by the Aztecs this season in regulation.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outstretched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outstretched. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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