STRETCHING Synonyms: 140 Similar and Opposite Words

stretching 1 of 2

noun

as in extension

the act of making longer excessive stretching can cause the fabric to tear or lose its elasticity

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in exaggeration

the representation of something in terms that go beyond the facts your constant stretching of the truth is going to get you in trouble someday

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stretching

2 of 2

verb

present participle of stretch

as in exaggerating

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 pulling

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

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as in lengthening

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 trying

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 tightening

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 stretching

Noun

Symptoms that do not improve with posture changes and regular stretching are a signal to get help. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026 The fabric is breathable from top to bottom, and the four-way stretch gives you a full range of motion for walking, running, stretching, and just relaxing at home. — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 16 July 2026 Walking, cycling, swimming, stretching, and other low-intensity activities are all effective active recovery options. — Jenessa Connor, Health, 15 July 2026 Start with low-impact exercises like walking, stretching, and pelvic floor work, and always listen to your body. — Melissa Willets, Parents, 14 July 2026 Activities such as walking, swimming, cycling, stretching, and yoga are all beneficial. — Mélanie Defouilloy, Vogue, 6 July 2026 Fabric Blinds To clean fabric blinds, dampen a microfiber cloth with the cleaning solution and gently wipe down the fabric, supporting it with your other hand to prevent stretching or tears. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 1 July 2026 Pre-production ran from January to April 2025, with post-production stretching from May 2025 through March 2026. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 June 2026

Verb

That could mean walking for two to five minutes every 30 to 60 minutes, taking calls while standing or pacing, using stairs, stretching, or doing a few bodyweight movements between meetings. — Jakob Roze, Health, 23 July 2026 The metropolitan area was instead placed in parts of three districts, with Cohen’s reshaped district stretching a couple hundred miles eastward before reaching north toward the Nashville suburbs. — ABC News, 23 July 2026 Another way families are stretching their back-to-school budgets is by stretching out the shopping season. — Joan Verdon, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 Cold front mixes with tropical moisture A cold front is pushing toward the East Coast from the Midwest, stretching from just south of Arkansas all the way to New York, according to the National Weather Service. — Irene Wright, USA Today, 22 July 2026 In the eastern Indian Ocean, south of Java in the vast sea stretching toward Australia, a fishing vessel slightly alters its course while operating near the boundary of its authorized fishing ground. — IEEE Spectrum, 16 July 2026 Making that broadcast appear effortless depends on a production operation stretching far beyond the café. — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 15 July 2026 The line of supporters quickly packed the palace square before stretching far down the main street, Karl Johans gate, as the squad first attended an audience with King Harald. — Reuters, NBC news, 14 July 2026 There is a Heat Advisory in place for many northern urban areas along I-25 stretching from Denver up into Fort Collins for the possibility of high temperature soaring up between 95 and 100 degrees by Monday afternoon. — Dave Aguilera, CBS News, 13 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stretching

Noun

It was set to expire this summer prior to an extension that gives both sides an extra year to reach a new deal.

— DJ Simmons July 27, Charlotte Observer, 27 July 2026
Residents organize a petition and pack city meetings, prompting a 10-month extension of a temporary ban as officials weigh permanently blocking new drive-thrus in the Westside community.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026

Definition of extension

Verb

Cornelissen works with little intervention in the wine cellar, but without exaggerating.

— Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Jan Paul van Hecke of the Netherlands has been involved in two scraps already, the latest when he was hit while going for a header and crumbled, perhaps exaggerating a tad, after Morocco's Azzedine Ounahi challenged the header, as well.

— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 June 2026

Definition of exaggerating

Verb

The Moon enters practical Capricorn this morning, pulling attention toward structure, responsibility, and the work that needs real support beneath it.

— Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026
Brent Fannin, 38, was the first activist to discover the FWC was pulling critics’ DAVID records.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026

Definition of pulling

Verb

The Clinique High Impact Mascara is a volumizing and lengthening formula that separates the lashes for a dramatic, bold finish.

— Jessie Quinn, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
The ultimate test for whether Dryad’s system or Seneca’s drones can nip fires in the bud will come if fire agencies deploy them during the lengthening wildfire season.

— Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 20 July 2026

Definition of lengthening

Verb

The World World Web was invented by a scientist at CERN who was trying to share data between different institutions.

— Lisa Song, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
The metatext here is that Cohen is also trying to fit her persona inside the particular demands of a specific burgeoning type of comedy-theater solo show.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 28 July 2026

Definition of trying

Verb

Gains would transfer across fields, and each generation would help create a substantially stronger successor on a tightening schedule.

— Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
The path to a diagnosis is more standardized than most men realize, and the guardrails around testosterone replacement therapy are tightening even as online prescribers push in the opposite direction.

— Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 28 July 2026

Definition of tightening

Noun

For Yard Act’s 2022 debut, The Overload, the quartet chiseled flamboyant caricatures of British life and portrayed their flawed country with an abrasive, punishing tone.

— Victoria Borlando, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026
Modern aerospace power bears little resemblance to those caricatures.

— David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026