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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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
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
Aaron Randolph, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
The attosecond pulses stretched only slightly from 90 to 96 attoseconds.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2025
What was meant to be a short stay in space for US astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore stretched into a more than nine-month mission, after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that was supposed to ferry them home malfunctioned.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
That standoff stretched for 35 days, leading to the furlough of more than 350,000 federal workers and forcing 400,000 others to work without pay.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Don't miss these The 2025 government shutdown has stretched on to record length.
—Steven Martinez, jsonline.com, 5 Nov. 2025
The federal government shutdown, which has now stretched past a month, has only added to the pressure on low-income families by affecting critical government programs, including SNAP food benefits.
—Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025
The Afghanistan War, meanwhile, stretched for nearly 20 years, until former President Biden’s withdrawal of troops in 2021.
—Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2025
The crowd, which began forming early in the morning outside The Pavilion at Ole Miss, stretched across campus as students wore MAGA hats and 'Freedom' shirts in tribute to the slain Turning Point founder.
—Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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
At the port, narrow wooden docks stretched over the river, lined with vendors selling hammocks, bottled water, sacks of rice, and mosquito repellent.
—Aaron Randolph, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
The attosecond pulses stretched only slightly from 90 to 96 attoseconds.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2025
What was meant to be a short stay in space for US astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore stretched into a more than nine-month mission, after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that was supposed to ferry them home malfunctioned.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
That standoff stretched for 35 days, leading to the furlough of more than 350,000 federal workers and forcing 400,000 others to work without pay.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Don't miss these The 2025 government shutdown has stretched on to record length.
—Steven Martinez, jsonline.com, 5 Nov. 2025
The federal government shutdown, which has now stretched past a month, has only added to the pressure on low-income families by affecting critical government programs, including SNAP food benefits.
—Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025
The Afghanistan War, meanwhile, stretched for nearly 20 years, until former President Biden’s withdrawal of troops in 2021.
—Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2025
The crowd, which began forming early in the morning outside The Pavilion at Ole Miss, stretched across campus as students wore MAGA hats and 'Freedom' shirts in tribute to the slain Turning Point founder.
—Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stretched
Adjective
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Finasteride, prescribed for hair loss or enlarged prostate, and bicalutamide, used in prostate cancer treatment, can shift testosterone’s effects and allow breast tissue to grow.—
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
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For those who develop enlarged hemorrhoids during pregnancy, the discomfort can feel especially impossible to ignore.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Machado also pushed back on suggestions that Venezuela’s role in drug trafficking had been exaggerated to support the argument of those calling for regime change.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
15 Oct. 2025
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Blazy exaggerated the frayed hems that Coco Chanel loved into ragged edges by letting the cloth be overtaken slowly with tiny hanging strings of beads.—
Nathan Heller,
Vogue,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Hot dishes pulled from the oven should never be put directly into cold water, and any glass pans pulled from the refrigerator for reheating should be brought to room temperature before heating.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Photos taken of Kitzing at the time of their arrest in 1936 show them in feminine dress, with long hair pulled back, wearing a fur coat and a hat.—
Kate Sosin,
Them.,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The idea is that once the consolidated sleep pattern has been established, it can be lengthened over time.—
Rowan Jacobsen,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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His telomeres, protective caps on chromosomes, lengthened in space, only to shorten rapidly upon return.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Only four minutes later, Kilman tried to pass around Aaronson, but gave it straight to the attentive No 11.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
In 1985, he was tried and acquitted for the murder of his first wife.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
For years, 58-year-old Abel Linares watched his health slip away as kidney disease tightened its grip.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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His frequent warnings that the city would fall into ruin if Mamdani, 34, were elected mayor may have tightened the race slightly.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Ugg Goldencush Oxfords These sneakers have a padded tongue, a lightweight, flexible rubber outsole, and trendy metal lace D-rings.—
Mia Huelsbeck,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Kingbull also includes bungee cords, foot pegs, mirrors, and a padded back seat.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In 2013, Queen Elizabeth II posthumously pardoned Alan Turing, the World War II codebreaker convicted under laws criminalizing homosexuality, and in 2017 the UK government extended the pardon to thousands of other gay and bisexual men convicted under similar statutes.—
James Frater,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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The promotion, for now is capped at $250,000, but could be extended, the company said.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stretched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stretched. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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