1
as in expanses
a wide space or area
a narrow stretch of beach below the cliffs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in whiles
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 distances
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 exaggerates
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 lengthens
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 tries
to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress
your whining is stretching my patience to the limit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of stretches
Rob Wolkenbrod, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Medieval Europeans, to take one example, cleared enormous stretches of woodland—up to seventy per cent in parts of France and England by the fourteenth century—for farming, fuel, and timber.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The company’s heritage operations teams handle mechanical maintenance, safety checks, and necessary modernizations, such as the addition of Positive Train Control, which allows Big Boy 4014 to operate independently on long stretches of track.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
Aura steps in during those quiet stretches, offering engagement instead of an empty room.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Open stretches are prone to blowing snow, and freezing rain can make the road deceptively slick.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026
The transit agency urged passengers to allow extra travel time and said shuttle buses would help bridge several stretches of track.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 24 Jan. 2026
When traveling in high elevations where the snow could be more than a few inches deep for extended stretches, carry snowshoes, and consider getting some tall gaiters to keep any snow out of your boots, like this pair from Outdoor Research ($49), ideal for trekking through deeper drifts.
—Kaelyn Lynch, Outside, 23 Jan. 2026
His tendency to look for the shot before the pass is affecting his teammates, and overall the team’s offense is going through some horrible stretches.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 9 Jan. 2026
Keith Laing, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
The reach of the gym on Metropolitan Parkway, about halfway between the airport and downtown Atlanta, stretches far beyond its neighborhood.
—Ryan Dennis, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
After a winless run that stretches back to November 7, Werder Bremen dismissed coach Horst Steffen on Sunday.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Linking brain and behavior The observation that brain damage can cause changes to behavior stretches back hundreds of years.
—Christopher M. Filley, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
While immigration agencies are civilian, their deployment as quasi-military units in domestic operations stretches that mission beyond its original intent, especially when regular local law enforcement is available.
—Larry Pino, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2026
That path through air bends and filters sunlight, scattering blues and letting reds and oranges linger, often creating a razor-thin gradient that stretches thousands of miles along the planet's curve.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 27 Jan. 2026
The history of the Kings in the NBA The Kings’ history stretches back well before its Kansas City days.
—Alexa Stone, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2026
Pattiya and Dylan might have a 20-year age gap, but their love stretches from Texas to Tasmania.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
Outside of a brief overlap in Ring of Honor in 2004, the matchup never happened, despite Punk’s runs in WWE and AEW and Styles’ defining stretches in TNA, NJPW, and eventually a decade-long run in WWE.
—Rob Wolkenbrod, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Medieval Europeans, to take one example, cleared enormous stretches of woodland—up to seventy per cent in parts of France and England by the fourteenth century—for farming, fuel, and timber.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The company’s heritage operations teams handle mechanical maintenance, safety checks, and necessary modernizations, such as the addition of Positive Train Control, which allows Big Boy 4014 to operate independently on long stretches of track.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
Aura steps in during those quiet stretches, offering engagement instead of an empty room.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Open stretches are prone to blowing snow, and freezing rain can make the road deceptively slick.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026
The transit agency urged passengers to allow extra travel time and said shuttle buses would help bridge several stretches of track.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 24 Jan. 2026
When traveling in high elevations where the snow could be more than a few inches deep for extended stretches, carry snowshoes, and consider getting some tall gaiters to keep any snow out of your boots, like this pair from Outdoor Research ($49), ideal for trekking through deeper drifts.
—Kaelyn Lynch, Outside, 23 Jan. 2026
His tendency to look for the shot before the pass is affecting his teammates, and overall the team’s offense is going through some horrible stretches.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
Organizers said 27 brands are represented at the show, which has a legacy that stretches back to 1902.
—Keith Laing, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
The reach of the gym on Metropolitan Parkway, about halfway between the airport and downtown Atlanta, stretches far beyond its neighborhood.
—Ryan Dennis, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
After a winless run that stretches back to November 7, Werder Bremen dismissed coach Horst Steffen on Sunday.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Linking brain and behavior The observation that brain damage can cause changes to behavior stretches back hundreds of years.
—Christopher M. Filley, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
While immigration agencies are civilian, their deployment as quasi-military units in domestic operations stretches that mission beyond its original intent, especially when regular local law enforcement is available.
—Larry Pino, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2026
That path through air bends and filters sunlight, scattering blues and letting reds and oranges linger, often creating a razor-thin gradient that stretches thousands of miles along the planet's curve.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 27 Jan. 2026
The history of the Kings in the NBA The Kings’ history stretches back well before its Kansas City days.
—Alexa Stone, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2026
Pattiya and Dylan might have a 20-year age gap, but their love stretches from Texas to Tasmania.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stretches
Noun
-
But wide expanses of undeveloped land offer developers the chance to build new subdivisions — prime real estate for new home buyers.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Unmanned aircraft systems of various sizes and designs are proving resilient at performing reconnaissance over large expanses of ocean, with range and endurance exceeding human limitations.—
Zita Ballinger Fletcher,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
UCHealth’s decision to postpone surgeries whiles staff addressed the sterilization problem stands out from other hospitals that have found themselves in similar situations.—
Jessica Seaman,
Denver Post,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The difference in low- and high-end ranges is vast in most southeast Michigan communities.—
Tanya Wildt,
Freep.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
That can include discovering new actors, assembling ensembles with a particular chemistry or managing large and complex casts across locations or age ranges.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Instead of dotting the same black scrim, like pinholes in a two-dimensional theater backdrop, the stars were scattered through space at dramatically varying distances, a vast swarm of them filling every last corner of an even vaster, more numinous, and emphatically three-dimensional darkness.—
Michael Pollan,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Next the team wants to infer the various distances of the structures that the researchers have glimpsed and to use them to make the map more dynamic and three-dimensional.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The same prime minister who exaggerates his power is also fine with being portrayed as the patsy of more influential actors.—
Aluf Benn,
Foreign Affairs,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Tainy’s Prometheus — is portrayed by Feid, dressed in an oversized leather coat and lit in a manner that exaggerates his grills in an eerie way.—
Juan J. Arroyo,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
With his tree-bark rasp, Gabe raps hard as hell and pulls little storytelling tricks out of his bag.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
-
This pulls you inward, asking you to confront subconscious patterns, private fears and unspoken truths.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Requiring a shareholder vote introduces uncertainty, lengthens timelines, and raises the risk that a cable spinoff could be rejected or delayed.—
Corey Martin,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Customers agree that the curved brush lengthens and volumizes their lashes, while the formula is smudge-, flake-, clump-, and sweat-proof.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Those moments slow me down before the world tries to speed me up.—
John Noakes,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2026
-
When Aris tries to sell his deceased father’s belongings, the girl inspires sympathy from potential buyers.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stretches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stretches. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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