stretch 1 of 3

stretch

2 of 3

verb

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to pull
to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure I stretched a back muscle, and the pain is killing me

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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

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4
5
as in to tighten
to draw tight if the canvas isn't properly stretched over the frame, there will be sagging over time

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

stretch

3 of 3

adjective

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 stretch
Noun
Securing home-field advantage for that first playoff round remains a goal, but otherwise this stretch run lacks much suspense. Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025 The effort began in 1991, when the city council solicited public input on how to redevelop a stretch of land along the waterfront. Beth Lew-Williams, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
Smith stretched as far as his body would allow, inadvertently hitting the splits in the process. Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025 That two-block development that stretches north to MacArthur Boulevard will feature up to 3,750 residential units, a 250-room hotel, a 200-unit tower for senior living and up to 350,000 square feet of restaurants and shops, as well as a grocery store and 13 acres of park space. Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Dunaway should get stretch powers, because Hollywood is cruel about women aging and Mr. Fantastic’s power can be used like Botox (see also: Elasti-Woman on Doom Patrol). Bethy Squires, Vulture, 17 July 2025 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, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for stretch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stretch
Noun
  • The expansion will also include more language support, with plans to increase access to consulting and capital assistance in Spanish and Marshallese, according to an organization news release.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Sacred Heart Schools announced a sweeping expansion to the Sacred Heart Academy campus focused on improving student facilities, expanding endowments to support scholarships and strengthening the school's annual fund.
    Ray Padilla, The Courier-Journal, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • By now, many of you have heard that The Courier Journal is moving out of our historic office building and into a new space closer to the river this week.
    Ray Padilla, The Courier-Journal, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Stradivarius and Pull&Bear both moved to larger spaces, and the group also debuted its first Bershka store.
    Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Dimon said that JPMorgan is privy to a spectrum of data around consumers, corporations and global trade.
    Hugh Son, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The film operates under the Primetime banner, neurodivergent actor-producer Victoria Emslie’s platform dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices across disability, gender, global majority and sexuality spectrums.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Such a short distance is considered well within reach of a basic marksman.
    Will Carless, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Jordan Morgan started at left guard and went the distance, while Anthony Belton and Darian Kennard alternated at right tackle.
    Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In early 2025, the stock fell nearly 57% from February to April in the wake of a short-seller report that alleged the company had exaggerated its e-commerce performance and breached service terms.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • This performative solidarity was not appreciated by Saudi commentators who argued Egypt exaggerated the seriousness of Netanyahu's comments in a bid to drag Saudi Arabia in a confrontation with the Israelis for political reasons.
    Khaled Hassan, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • What lingers are the fragments that weren’t rehearsed, a voice breaking, a note pulled from the back of a notebook, a chant that filled the room, a line spoken more to a spouse than to the cameras.
    Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Bolt-action rifles, prized for reliability, require the operator to pull the trigger for one round before manually chambering another round.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • And the time required to develop new mines is, if anything, lengthening.
    Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Turning for home, two-lengths in front, her stride continued to lengthen.
    Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Then there were those epic Pac-12 shindigs, when Harbaugh was trying to resurrect the Stanford program and Carroll was pulling the levels during one of USC’s glory eras, with the advantage going to Harbaugh, 2-1.
    Jay Paris, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Through these tactics, Iftiu is trying to pay forward the generosity he's received within the system.
    William Jones, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Stretch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stretch. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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