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1
as in extension
the act of making longer
excessive stretching can cause the fabric to tear or lose its elasticity
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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
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2
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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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
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4
as in pushing
to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress
your whining is stretching my patience to the limit
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Thesaurus Entries Near stretching
Cite this Entry
“Stretching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stretching. Accessed 8 Dec. 2022.
More from Merriam-Webster on stretching
Nglish: Translation of stretching for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of stretching for Arabic Speakers
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