outstretching

verb

present participle of outstretch
1
as in extending
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lengthening
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for outstretching
  1. extending
  2. lengthening
  3. expanding
  4. stretching
  5. opening
  6. increasing
  7. unfolding
Verb
  • The fight, Haro said, is about more than extending a lease or delaying an eviction.
    — Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2026
  • On her feet were strappy, buckle-heavy platform sandals with oversize straps extending off the sides and wrapping around her ankles, with the highest strap wrapping around the tapered jeans.
    — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of extending
Verb
  • These movements take joints through active ranges of motion, lengthening and engaging muscles to support and control movement.
    — Dana Santas, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Valjean’s famous bread-theft-to-feed-his-starving-family here becomes a footchase/fight setpiece before he is caught and consigned to an ever-lengthening prison sentence.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of lengthening
Verb
  • Known for its expanding flosses, the company has been on a growth streak of late, growing its business 183 percent in three years and expanding its presence in key retailers like Target and Walmart.
    — Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Luckin’s senior management is considering expanding into the Gulf countries, Chairman David Li told CNBC in an exclusive interview on Monday.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of expanding
Verb
  • The nor'easter brought severe wind and heavy rain across the Northeast Saturday and Sunday, with the storms stretching from Maine down to New York.
    — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The fuel price hike prompted a series of protests stretching from Idlib – the interim government’s base – to Aleppo and Damascus.
    — Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of stretching
Verb
  • Both airlines, which merged in 2024 but operate as distinct brands, are also working on opening airport lounges to lure customers willing to shell out for luxury travel.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • After opening a second store on the Left Bank, Parisian handbag duo Léo et Violette have given their Rue Sainte-Anne flagship a fresh encore, with Betyle Studio designing a space inspired by the founders’ love of opera and music.
    — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of opening
Verb
  • The hope is that these discoveries will not be lost with increasing use of AI models in mathematics.
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The rules are aimed at boosting confidence in Saudi ⁠capital markets by increasing transparency and strengthening the IPO framework, the CMA said.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of increasing
Verb
  • The play is a gently unfolding, calmly delivered tale of the decades of horrors endured by a real-life person named Eddie Jaku.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The origination of the artwork soon belongs to history, but history is ongoing—an unfolding future.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfolding
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.

Browse Nearby Words

outstretches
outstretching
outstrip
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Outstretching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outstretching. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of heterodox

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All