STRETCHES Synonyms: 207 Similar and Opposite Words

stretches 1 of 2

noun

plural of stretch

as in expanses

a wide space or area a narrow stretch of beach below the cliffs

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Relevance

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

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as in ranges

the distance or extent between possible extremes the stories were written over a considerable stretch of time

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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

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stretches

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of stretch

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in pulls

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

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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

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as in tries

to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress your whining is stretching my patience to the limit

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as in tightens

to draw tight if the canvas isn't properly stretched over the frame, there will be sagging over time

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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 stretches

Noun

The question for the next six weeks is whether those tumultuous stretches in April and July into August have done them in. — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 The unit might finally be complemented by a gorgeous offense, one capable of starting fast and leading for long stretches. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2026 Set directly on one of the area’s most beautiful stretches of sand, the property has a lively beach club, expansive spa, multiple restaurants, and abundant activities for both couples and families. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2026 Altman had been making note of Kushner’s investment in founders at splashy startups, including Slack, Instacart, and payment giant Stripe—staying loyal and lavishing them with attention even during rocky stretches. — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026 There have been steep climbs, stretches of extreme heat, missed turns and even warnings to watch out for rattlesnakes. — Marlee Ginter, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026 Here being Los Angeles, stretches of which then resembled the coming of Ragnarök, when a battle between gods and fire giants ends with the whole world ablaze. — Matt Thompson, SPIN, 14 Aug. 2026 The fight is taking shape across a remarkably broad battlefield, from Atlanta’s northern suburbs to exurban communities and rural stretches of Georgia where both parties see opportunities. — Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 11 Aug. 2026 Hilton, and to a lesser extent, Kordestani were absent from the office for stretches. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Verb

Today, the Atlantic City boardwalk stretches a little more than 5 miles long. — Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 Placer is a Republican county that stretches from the Sacramento suburbs to the northwestern shores of Lake Tahoe. — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026 Azerbaijan exports its oil through multinational pipelines, such as the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which stretches over 1,000 miles through the country of Georgia and on into Turkey. — Daniel Markind, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 The newly redrawn 4th Congressional District stretches from the Napa Valley through Yolo County and into the Sacramento Valley, encompassing parts of nine counties. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 17 Aug. 2026 If the map remains in effect, Cleaver will run for a district specifically designed to favor Republicans that stretches from Troost Avenue to rural mid-Missouri. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2026 Basins and streams become elongated at larger scales, so that river networks have an inherent directionality that stretches toward the sea. — Natalie Wolchover, Quanta Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026 Cincinnati and Charleston are included in a more serious Level 3 of 4 threat of flooding rainfall Tuesday that stretches from eastern Indiana to central West Virginia. — Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026 When the body carries extra weight for a long period of time, the skin stretches, and the underlying support structures weaken. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 10 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stretches

Noun

Security Meets Style Expect larger expanses of glass, slimmer frames, and design that blurs the line between indoors and out.

— Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Aug. 2026
Then in the late winter, Mathon proposed rezoning all of its 188-acre Waterford Parkway South property, including the former airport’s runways and tie-down areas as well as large expanses of woodlands.

— Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of expanses

Noun

This is especially true for the Sierra and North Coast ranges, where extra snowfall could come in the form of significantly higher-than-normal totals in the high peaks.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 18 Aug. 2026
The Century City flagship in Los Angeles, for example, carries the full women's and men's ranges alongside its more recent scrubs business, while incorporating smart fitting rooms connected to customers' membership profiles and purchase histories.

— Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of ranges

Noun

Rainfall amounts will vary considerably because thunderstorms can produce very different totals over short distances.

— Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
The mission also carries instruments from Egypt, Switzerland, Bahrain and Italy; the latter country’s instrument is a small laser retroreflector on the lander that can be used to precisely measure distances from orbiters to the lunar surface.

— Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of distances

Verb

Armour points to two recent plays, one involving Chelsea Gray and another involving Kiah Stokes, as proof that Clark exaggerates contact and creates false narratives about opposing players.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2026
The best place to start is a sporting culture that exaggerates accomplishments and rewards capitalistic success before the sporting variety.

— Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of exaggerates

Verb

The move pulls back on the city’s previous decision to eliminate parking minimums in 2022 to help encourage development.

— Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026
The funding will help CAEPlus develop BoundaryCool, a system that pulls heat away from graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), and tensor processing units (TPUs) using active liquid cooling.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of pulls

Verb

Along with the town’s hard-drinking fisherman Wyck (Root), and the town hall staff of Patricia (O’Flynn), Rosemary (Dickey) and Dale (Hiller), Loftis tries to ignore a centuries-old island curse while attracting tourists to the island.

— Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2026
In addition to ticketing when necessary, Cotcher said the Park District leads discussions in problem areas and tries to reiterate park rules and decorum with parents, children and others using trails.

— Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2026