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
  • However, any sense of security that three-year buffer may have offered was a mirage; Newcastle recognised that, with Hall having so many admirers across Europe, extending his contract had to be an immediate post-window priority.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Additionally, airlines are making moves for the fall and even the winter, extending seasonal flight routes beyond their usual September cutoffs.
    — Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of extending
Verb
  • The new style is part of the Gucci Primavera collection, and the Donna features a striking, pronounced outline and clean lines all around, lengthening the leg.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The study, however, didn’t attribute the lengthening delays to flaws in the single-payer system, but rather to the increasing complexity of cancer care and changes in hospital practices.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of lengthening
Verb
  • Wade was one of Gansey’s first real finds as an executive, and behind the scenes pushed for his ever expanding role with the Cavaliers.
    — Tony Jones, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Four large hangars now dominate parts of the expanding facility.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of expanding
Verb
  • Cinnamon ferns form hummocks, with tightly wound fiddleheads stretching upwards toward the sun, just beginning to unfurl into emerald fronds.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The base of the light cone will start near Cancer, resting just above the horizon, stretching upward through Gemini, and reaching high into the predawn sky toward Taurus.
    — Jules-Pierre Malartre, Space.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of stretching
Verb
  • That's the reality of life without starting quarterback Sam Darnold, who was knocked out of this season-opening matchup with a right hip injury.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Colorado’s gritty 14-13 season-opening win at Georgia Tech is precisely the type of game that the Buffaloes would not have won during Deion Sanders’ first three seasons as head coach.
    — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of opening
Verb
  • According to Borges de Moraes, cases like Pourrain’s are increasing under the current administration.
    — Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Cancer rising among younger ages The question of why colorectal cancer cases are increasing among younger adults has been an ongoing one within medicine.
    — Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of increasing
Verb
  • But the true test of Turning Point Action's clout was unfolding inside the exhibition center, where staff members were registering voters, handing out buttons and signing people up for social events.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Precious little of anything survives from a millennium ago, let alone textile, let alone narrative textile, hundreds of feet of it, unfolding in scene after scene with the colors still crisp.
    — John Phipps, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 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 14 Sep. 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 empirical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All