1
as in expansion
a wide space or area
a narrow stretch of beach below the cliffs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in space
an indefinite but usually short period of time
there was a cardinal at our bird feeder for a short stretch last spring
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
4
as in distance
the space or amount of space between two points, lines, surfaces, or objects
the longest stretch of the drive without any place to get gas
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to exaggerate
to add to the interest of by including made-up details
it was stretching the truth to say she'd been in the movies: she was once an extra whose scene was cut in the final version
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to lengthen
to make longer
the time it would take to fix the car got stretched from three hours to two days when the part we needed had to be ordered
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to try
to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress
your whining is stretching my patience to the limit
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in flexible
able to revert to original size and shape after being stretched, squeezed, or twisted
stretch fabrics that don't wrinkle or sag
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of stretch
Ari Stark, Footwear News, 17 Feb. 2026
Spread across roughly 270 miles of coastline, Puerto Rico’s 300 or so beaches range from secluded coves to lively white-sand stretches with plenty of opportunities for swimming, diving, and water sports.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 17 Feb. 2026
Patrice Hutton, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Najma grew up in those apartments and playgrounds, learning early that community could stretch across continents.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
According to our expert, washing denim too often breaks down the fibers more quickly and that is especially true if the jeans have any stretch fibers in them, which many of them do.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stretch
Noun
Meanwhile, Dennis Basso proved velvet can look luxe at any price, setting a stretch-velvet pajama set with lace sleeves from his QVC line next to a mainline gown with similar detailing.
—Ari Stark, Footwear News, 17 Feb. 2026
Spread across roughly 270 miles of coastline, Puerto Rico’s 300 or so beaches range from secluded coves to lively white-sand stretches with plenty of opportunities for swimming, diving, and water sports.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
The fabric must be able to stretch in all directions, which necessitates a four-way stretch fabric.
—Patrice Hutton, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Najma grew up in those apartments and playgrounds, learning early that community could stretch across continents.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
People who are more confident, charismatic, or intuitively appealing tend to receive higher performance ratings, more stretch opportunities, and stronger sponsorship, regardless of their objective contribution.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
According to our expert, washing denim too often breaks down the fibers more quickly and that is especially true if the jeans have any stretch fibers in them, which many of them do.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stretch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stretch
Noun
-
Private consumption drove the modest expansion, offsetting weakness in exports and public spending, according to data from Japan’s Cabinet Office.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The agency's unilateral expansion of government power is dangerous, and not only for immigrant families.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Mrigakshi is a science journalist who enjoys writing about space exploration, biology, and technological innovations.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The hotel’s outdoor lawn and event space has quickly become a hot wedding venue—nearly every weekend in the summer and fall was booked up.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
However, the backlash from both sides of the political spectrum was too great, and the video was taken down after nearly 12 hours.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Reflect the full spectrum of senior financial needs.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Sprint races, which are one-third of the normal grand prix distance were first introduced in 2021 as a way to add more of a spectacle to race weekends, with three sprints held that season and in 2022.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Once the blocks and spires of Palma faded into the distance, the 25-minute drive from the airport took me past crumbling homes, fields of curious farm animals, and not a soul in sight for miles at a time.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
He was accused of exaggerating his actions following King’s assassination and making anti-Semitic remarks.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The last thing anyone should want to do in such a scenario is exaggerate the reality of a health situation.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The fish must have pulled it loose in the grass.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Gomis’ complex, patient scene construction lets such tensions lie and ripple and occasionally erupt, though there’s always too much going on for any single mini-drama to pull focus.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The contrast between the dark shoes and the light denim creates a figure-lengthening balance that’s ideal for those who love basics with a street style star’s attitude.—
Alex Sales,
Glamour,
15 Feb. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Mercor tried to train one AI model to be funnier by hiring comedians from the Harvard Lampoon, an iconic comedy publication from Harvard University.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Ellen Rudolph and her husband, Steve Lewis, were still trying to repair their Pacific Palisades home and rebuild their lives after last year’s fires when, two months later, the devastating news came.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stretch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stretch. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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