1
as in extension
the act of making longer
excessive stretching can cause the fabric to tear or lose its elasticity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pulling
to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure
I stretched a back muscle, and the pain is killing me
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in trying
to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress
your whining is stretching my patience to the limit
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in tightening
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
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Recent Examples of stretching
Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026
Daily stretching can improve circulation, enhance posture, and promote mental health, to name a few perks.
—Julia Ries Wexler, Health, 25 Feb. 2026
Another candidate, this one for a high-level position, was doing a lot of stretching, Nibler said.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2026
Next time, handle the dough more gently and scale back on kneading, stretching, and folding.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 22 Feb. 2026
The researchers found that the cells retained mechanical integrity under bending, stretching, and compression.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 21 Feb. 2026
An avid field recordist, Kamaru has spoken of running his documentations of his surroundings—buses and bustling markets in Nairobi, sirens and birdsong in Berlin—through various types of digital processing, stretching and mulching and interweaving them with synths until the humdrum becomes musical.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 21 Feb. 2026
There’re proper stretching routines.
—Patrick McEnroe, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Some people still call him that, and theorize that the injuries likely have something to do with the style of the team’s play or its approach to strength and conditioning or stretching and recovery.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Arkansas Online, 6 Mar. 2026
Cape Maclear, Lake Malawi An enormous inland pool of clear water stretching as far as the eye can see, Lake Malawi offers many opportunities for affordable lakeside leisure.
—Melanie Van Zyl, Travel + Leisure, 6 Mar. 2026
In the flick, Sly was sprawled out on his stomach, stretching toward the window to catch a better view of the iconic structure.
—Elle Meier, InStyle, 5 Mar. 2026
The top cops of states such as Arizona, California, Oregon, Maryland, New York and Vermont say that the White House is stretching the law past its limits.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 5 Mar. 2026
Bobrovsky isn’t simply stretching his left leg across.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Parker led 36-25 at halftime and just kept pulling away, stretching the lead to 16, 19 and 21 points in the third quarter.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
Started in 2022 and stretching over a week every fall, the event pulls support not just from chefs, but also the region’s art and music scenes.
—J.m. Hirsch, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2026
The history of What-A-Burger and Whataburger The competing burger chains with similar names both have long histories, stretching back to the 1950s.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 25 Feb. 2026
Noun
The rover has spent roughly six months exploring unusual geological formations on Mars known as boxwork — crisscrossing ridges that resemble giant spiderwebs stretching across the surface for miles when viewed from orbit.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026
Daily stretching can improve circulation, enhance posture, and promote mental health, to name a few perks.
—Julia Ries Wexler, Health, 25 Feb. 2026
Another candidate, this one for a high-level position, was doing a lot of stretching, Nibler said.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2026
Next time, handle the dough more gently and scale back on kneading, stretching, and folding.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 22 Feb. 2026
The researchers found that the cells retained mechanical integrity under bending, stretching, and compression.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 21 Feb. 2026
An avid field recordist, Kamaru has spoken of running his documentations of his surroundings—buses and bustling markets in Nairobi, sirens and birdsong in Berlin—through various types of digital processing, stretching and mulching and interweaving them with synths until the humdrum becomes musical.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 21 Feb. 2026
There’re proper stretching routines.
—Patrick McEnroe, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Some people still call him that, and theorize that the injuries likely have something to do with the style of the team’s play or its approach to strength and conditioning or stretching and recovery.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
Israel has struck sites in Beirut's suburbs and issued a blanket warning for residents south of the Litani River -- an area in southern Lebanon stretching to the border with Israel -- to evacuate their homes, but had not previously issued a blanket evacuation order for Beirut's southern suburbs.
—Arkansas Online, 6 Mar. 2026
Cape Maclear, Lake Malawi An enormous inland pool of clear water stretching as far as the eye can see, Lake Malawi offers many opportunities for affordable lakeside leisure.
—Melanie Van Zyl, Travel + Leisure, 6 Mar. 2026
In the flick, Sly was sprawled out on his stomach, stretching toward the window to catch a better view of the iconic structure.
—Elle Meier, InStyle, 5 Mar. 2026
The top cops of states such as Arizona, California, Oregon, Maryland, New York and Vermont say that the White House is stretching the law past its limits.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 5 Mar. 2026
Bobrovsky isn’t simply stretching his left leg across.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Parker led 36-25 at halftime and just kept pulling away, stretching the lead to 16, 19 and 21 points in the third quarter.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
Started in 2022 and stretching over a week every fall, the event pulls support not just from chefs, but also the region’s art and music scenes.
—J.m. Hirsch, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2026
The history of What-A-Burger and Whataburger The competing burger chains with similar names both have long histories, stretching back to the 1950s.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stretching
Noun
-
The modern extension in the rear of the 19th-century main villa is an elegantly spartan affair that somehow complements the 19th-century edifice and brings in the surrounding foliage.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Bernier has supported sending the millage extension to voters.—
Steve Patterson,
Florida Times-Union,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The four first-round picks is an exaggeration, because Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois traded one (and a prospect) for each player, but the point is sound.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Any exaggeration of the harms of COVID vaccines by ACIP’s members could give the committee, and ultimately Bhattacharya’s CDC, justification to advise certain populations to stop taking the shots altogether.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Christopher Carnahan, a Los Angeles police officer who was accused of skydiving and working out while also collecting disability benefits by exaggerating an on-duty work injury, was charged with two counts of felony insurance fraud, prosecutors said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Historically, some doctors have dismissed these differences as women exaggerating their pain or being unable to tolerate the same discomfort as men.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Those worries have spilled into financial markets, pulling share prices sharply lower.—
Alex Veiga,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Someone’s always pulling the knife out or holding the knife.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Ribcage Wide-Leg jeans have a high-rise waist that’s right on trend, along with a leg-lengthening inseam and non-stretch denim that breaks in beautifully.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Starting pitchers are lengthening starts, prospects are turning heads and the World Baseball Classic is about to start.—
Ken Sugiura,
AJC.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Israel also pressed on with near-daily strikes, primarily in southern Lebanon, saying that Hezbollah has been trying to rebuild its positions there, killing nearly 400 people while the ceasefire was in place.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Senate progressives are trying to keep it simple.—
Nicholas Wu,
semafor.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And second, there’s the audience’s uncomfortable tingle of recognition watching Vladimir Putin’s tightening stranglehold on the Russian press.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
In addition to high fuel costs, tightening airspace also threatens to derail the global travel industry, as pilots reroute to avoid the Middle East conflict and capacity on popular routes fills up.—
Shivangi Lahiri,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But the show, created by Jonathan Glatzer, also captures something about the people that goes beyond caricature and that resonates at this particular moment.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The ants that animators once morphed into googly-eyed caricatures in films such as A Bug’s Life and Antz just received a meticulously precise anatomical reboot.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stretching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stretching. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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