stretched 1 of 2

stretched

2 of 2

verb

past tense of stretch
1
2
as in pulled
to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure I stretched a back muscle, and the pain is killing me

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 stretched
Adjective
This feed-in jumbo braid updo on Teyonah Parris is achieved by adding a lot of pre-stretched braiding hair when creating the cornrows. — Omenaa Boakye, InStyle, 19 July 2026 But the case shapes alone tell you Samsung isn’t treating the Wide as a stretched version of the Ultra. — Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Wiley often wears her hair in a stretched state, combing through her gray coils with a blow dryer before doing a braid-out. — Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 29 May 2026 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
Verb
Unfurling through the grand midcentury Grill room was a snaking, glamorously gluttonous serpentine buffet that stretched from entrance to their 20-foot tall windows. — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026 How to Stream the 2026 MLB Playoffs This year's MLB postseason is stretched across multiple networks and streaming services. — Jason Cohen, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026 Carrie lived fifteen miles from Platte on a farm that stretched across two counties. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 The plan is an attempt to speed up the long lines that stretched for hours last season, especially during the opening week, which also happened to be Christmas week. — Connie Ogle october 1, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026 Previously, the 3rd Congressional District stretched along much of California’s border with Nevada and included Placer County, parts of Sacramento County and much of the Sierra Nevada. — Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026 There were 148 former Georgia high school players on active opening-day rosters, five more than last season, and the state stretched its lead in per-capita players from last season. — AJC.com, 1 Oct. 2026 Rogers met with Alan Hershkowitz, a special agent at the Office of Inspector General responsible for criminal investigations, for a voluntary meeting that stretched to 2½ hours. — Eamon Javers, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026 That experimentation stretched out over a steady, five-year dialogue with Grajales, who watched him test ideas without applying any pressure. — Adrian Madlener, Curbed, 30 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stretched
Adjective
  • His family later said his death was due to an enlarged heart coupled with aortic valve complications.
    — Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2026
  • According to the Mayo Clinic, finasteride is a prescription medication used to treat hair loss in men and an enlarged prostate.
    — James Powel, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In a letter to Congress, the former employees say this betrays that the infrastructure problems are being exaggerated.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Reports of theater’s death have been exaggerated for generations.
    — Brian Beirne, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • As Findley dragged the driver from the truck, Deputy Chase Blatt, driving north on I-35, saw the fire and the driver being pulled from the truck.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Saudi slowdown Saudi Arabia’s market regulator has proposed tougher rules for IPOs in an effort to revive its flagging market, which has seen a sharp decline in listings this year, as well as several high-profile IPOs being pulled.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Avoid blouses that end at the widest part of the thigh to keep your silhouette lengthened and balanced.
    — Kelsey Stewart, Glamour, 16 Sep. 2026
  • As the researchers lengthened the fall, this phase increased—a behavior in line with the theory.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Less than a year after her son’s birth, Dowling tried to get pregnant again, opting for the same add-ons as before—with no luck.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Just as Kelly tried to push Marion out of the frame, her brother, James, at the time 9 months old, entered the office in his baby bouncer.
    — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The race for the American League Central title tightened with a walk-off, two-run double in the ninth inning by Brayan Rocchio that gave the Guardians a 7-6 win at Progressive Field.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Since the 1975 Energy Policy and Conservation Act, cars have generally gotten more fuel-efficient, while regulations on fuel economy have tightened.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 28 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Taylor & Byrne is new, all glass and light; Cathcarts is dark wood and padded chairs; one assumes that earlier teams have occupied the space going back a century or more.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The shoes feature a padded leather insole with the brand’s signature logo detailing, and a classic round, open-toe design.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • High-yield corporate bonds extended a five-day rout to the lowest since April 2025, according to the iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG).
    — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • After all, if the ultimate goal of a central bank is to regulate the temperature of an economy by changing the cost of credit, then the fact that credit is increasingly extended by the bond market rather than banks inevitably has consequences.
    — Robin Wigglesworth, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Stretched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stretched. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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