as in enlarged
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1
as in exaggerated
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
3
as in lengthened
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
as in tried
to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress
your whining is stretching my patience to the limit
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Recent Examples of stretched
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 19 Feb. 2026
It’s formulated with calcium to promote new cell growth, adenosine to fill in wrinkles, collagen to maintain your skin’s density and thickness, elastin to restore stretched skin, and Vitamin D for rejuvenation.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2026
America’s health care system is straining under the twin pressures of an aging population and a stretched pool of health care providers.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Despite this pullback, the stock still trades at a stretched nine times trailing revenue—well above its historical average of three times.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
But at the time her car was found, that silence had stretched longer than usual.
—Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
The Earthquakes, who have scored six goals in their two matches this season against Kansas City, stretched their winning streak to three.
—Darren Sabedra, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026
Negotiations between the Los Angeles Unified School District and its teachers’ union stretched into Saturday without an agreement, leaving the possibility of a strike next Tuesday unresolved.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 12 Apr. 2026
These deep-set oases, locally called wadis, once stretched for miles across the desert, remembers Issa Ousmane Tcharaba, the chief of Barkadroussou, a cluster of 14 villages that depend on a lush oasis surrounding a striking blue lake.
—Julie Bourdin, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026
The run — first set around 2024’s Short n’ Sweet then expanded to include 2025’s Man’s Best Friend — stretched across 72 dates.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2026
My parents took me on my first flight at three months old and never stopped, raising me in a world that stretched far beyond home.
—Shayla Martin, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Apr. 2026
The other day, a squad of dancers stretched and limbered up in the halls as, outside, the lions stayed still.
—Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Once activated, the Fe-SMA bars aim to shrink back to their pre-stretched shape.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 19 Feb. 2026
It’s formulated with calcium to promote new cell growth, adenosine to fill in wrinkles, collagen to maintain your skin’s density and thickness, elastin to restore stretched skin, and Vitamin D for rejuvenation.
—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2026
America’s health care system is straining under the twin pressures of an aging population and a stretched pool of health care providers.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Despite this pullback, the stock still trades at a stretched nine times trailing revenue—well above its historical average of three times.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
Callender stretched out to deny the shot, keeping Minnesota United within striking distance for the equalizer minutes later.
—Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
But at the time her car was found, that silence had stretched longer than usual.
—Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
The Earthquakes, who have scored six goals in their two matches this season against Kansas City, stretched their winning streak to three.
—Darren Sabedra, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026
Negotiations between the Los Angeles Unified School District and its teachers’ union stretched into Saturday without an agreement, leaving the possibility of a strike next Tuesday unresolved.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 12 Apr. 2026
These deep-set oases, locally called wadis, once stretched for miles across the desert, remembers Issa Ousmane Tcharaba, the chief of Barkadroussou, a cluster of 14 villages that depend on a lush oasis surrounding a striking blue lake.
—Julie Bourdin, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026
The run — first set around 2024’s Short n’ Sweet then expanded to include 2025’s Man’s Best Friend — stretched across 72 dates.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2026
My parents took me on my first flight at three months old and never stopped, raising me in a world that stretched far beyond home.
—Shayla Martin, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Apr. 2026
The other day, a squad of dancers stretched and limbered up in the halls as, outside, the lions stayed still.
—Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stretched
Adjective
-
The family of a 17-year-old Texas cheerleader has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a distributor of a popular energy drink, saying the teenager died from an enlarged heart caused by ingesting large amounts of caffeine.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Updates include an enlarged kitchen and a more expansive primary suite setup, including dual bathrooms and generous closet space — rare symmetry for a house from this period.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Microsoft, then a small software company didn’t yet have one but exaggerated its readiness by pitching an operating system the company didn't own and hadn't created yet.—
J. Kyle Foster,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The scrutiny of fame has always been dehumanizing, though the ubiquity of the modern-day comment section has surely accelerated and exaggerated its cruelty.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Weathers was charged an additional run after issuing a leadoff walk in the sixth and getting pulled from the game.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The picture represented every second of invisible labor that pulled me away from the little people who mattered most to me, all the work that stole my ability to be present in those moments and remember them, too.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Frustration piled, and his timetable lengthened.—
Noah Furtado,
Houston Chronicle,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Grant Holmes’ gem Friday at Chase Field in a 2-0 Braves’ win over the Diamondbacks lengthened the team’s eight-game stretch of solid pitching to start the year.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Both sides have tried and failed to advance their partisan priorities the last few months.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
DePaul, which finished 16-16 and 8-12 in the Big East, must replace multiple seniors who tried to help coach Chris Holtmann turn the program around, including guard CJ Gunn and forward NJ Benson.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Casinos and online gambling hubs for Chinese-speakers, based in Cambodia and Myanmar, were one of their main enterprises until 2019, when Cambodia tightened its regulations; Covid lockdowns then emptied the casinos.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Art budgets are often the first belt tightened at an editorial publication in the throes of a revenue-bleeding death spiral.—
Cath Virginia,
The Verge,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
On-ear headphones are larger and sit on a solid band that goes over your head with padded earpieces that sit on top of your ears.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
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In addition to multiple slip and zippered pockets found on the outside and throughout the inside, this tote has a keyring holder and a padded laptop pouch.—
Michelle Baricevic,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On the licensing and consumer products side, the brand has extended across toys, publishing, digital products and lifestyle categories.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The Wild lease, which runs out in 2035, would be extended another 30 years under the renovation plan, alongside the city’s half-cent sales tax, which covers certain arena maintenance costs.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stretched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stretched. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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