stretch
Noun · Verb · AdjectiveOpen English WordNet
Verb (11)stretches, stretched, stretching
- occupy a large, elongated area“The park stretched beneath the train line”Synonyms: stretch alongMore general be
- extend one's limbs or muscles, or the entire body“Stretch your legs!”“Extend your right arm above your head”Synonyms: extendMore general tense, strainMore specific crane, spread-eagle
- extend or stretch out to a greater or the full length“Unfold the newspaper”“stretch out that piece of cloth”“extend the TV antenna”Synonyms: unfoldstretch outextendMore general change shape, change formSimilar extend
- become longer by being stretched and pulled“The fabric stretches”Opposite contractMore general growMore specific give, yield
- make long or longer by pulling and stretching“stretch the fabric”Synonyms: elongateMore general lengthenMore specific tree, shoetree
- lie down comfortably“To enjoy the picnic, we stretched out on the grass”Synonyms: stretch outMore general lie down, lie
- pull in opposite directions“During the Inquisition, the torturers would stretch their victims on a rack”
- extend the scope or meaning of; often unduly“Stretch the limits”“stretch my patience”“stretch the imagination”
- corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones“adulterate liquor”Synonyms: loadadulteratedilutedebase
- increase in quantity or bulk by adding a cheaper substance“stretch the soup by adding some more cream”“extend the casserole with a little rice”Synonyms: extend
- extend one's body or limbs“Let's stretch for a minute — we've been sitting here for over 3 hours”Synonyms: stretch out
Noun (7)stretches
- a large and unbroken expanse or distance“a stretch of highway”“a stretch of clear water”Type of expanseKinds slack, slack water
- the act of physically reaching or thrusting outSynonyms: reachreachingType of motion, movementKinds outreach
- a straightaway section of a racetrackType of straightaway, straightKinds homestretchPart of racetrack, racecourse
- exercise designed to extend the limbs and muscles to their full extentSynonyms: stretchingType of exercise, exercisingKinds pandiculation
- extension to or beyond the ordinary limit“running at full stretch”“by no stretch of the imagination”“beyond any stretch of his understanding”Type of extension
- an unbroken period of time during which you do something“there were stretches of boredom”“he did a stretch in the federal penitentiary”Synonyms: stintType of duration, continuance
- the capacity for being stretchedSynonyms: stretchinessstretchability
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Verb to lengthen by pulling
Verb to lengthen when pulled
- German
- sich dehnen
- Portuguese
- esticar
- Turkish
- uzamak
- Russian
- вытя́гиваться vytjágivatʹsja
- Arabic
- تمدّد tamaddada
- Chinese
- 拉长 lācháng
- Japanese
- 伸びる nobiru
- Dutch
- rekken
- Swedish
- töja
- Hungarian
- nyúlik
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: OE. strecchen, AS. streccan; akin to D. strekken, G. strecken, OHG. strecchen, Sw. sträcka, Dan. straekke; cf. AS. straeck, strec, strong, violent, G. strack straight; of uncertain origin, perhaps akin to E. strong. Cf. Straight.
1. To reach out; to extend; to put forth.
And stretch forth his neck long and small.— Geoffrey Chaucer
I in conquest stretched mine arm.— William Shakespeare
2. To draw out to the full length; to cause to extend in a straight line; as, to stretch a cord or rope.
3. To cause to extend in breadth; to spread; to expand; as, to stretch cloth; to stretch the wings.
4. To make tense; to tighten; to distend forcibly.
The ox hath therefore stretched his yoke in vain.— William Shakespeare
5. To draw or pull out to greater length; to strain; as, to stretch a tendon or muscle.
Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve.— Philip Doddridge
6. To exaggerate; to extend too far; as, to stretch the truth; to stretch one's credit.
They take up, one day, the most violent and stretched prerogative.— Edmund Burke
1. To be extended; to be drawn out in length or in breadth, or both; to spread; to reach; as, the iron road stretches across the continent; the lake stretches over fifty square miles.
As far as stretcheth any ground.— John Gower
2. To extend or spread one's self, or one's limbs; as, the lazy man yawns and stretches.
3. To be extended, or to bear extension, without breaking, as elastic or ductile substances.
The inner membrane... because it would stretch and yield, remained umbroken.— Robert Boyle
4. To strain the truth; to exaggerate; as, a man apt to stretch in his report of facts. obsolete or colloquial
5. Nautical To sail by the wind under press of canvas; as, the ship stretched to the eastward. Phila. 1881. Hamersly's Naval Encyclopaedia
Stretch out, an order to rowers to extend themselves forward in dipping the oar.
1. Act of stretching, or state of being stretched; reach; effort; struggle; strain; as, a stretch of the limbs; a stretch of the imagination.
By stretch of arms the distant shore to gain.— John Dryden
Those put a lawful authority upon the stretch, to the abuse of yower, under the color of prerogative.— Sir Roger L'Estrange
2. A continuous line or surface; a continuous space of time; as, grassy stretches of land.
A great stretch of cultivated country.— William Black
But all of them left me a week at a stretch.— Edward Eggleston
3. The extent to which anything may be stretched.
Quotations, in their utmost stretch, can signify no more than that Luther lay under severe agonies of mind.— Francis Atterbury
This is the utmost stretch that nature can.— George, Visc. Lansdowne Granville
4. Nautical The reach or extent of a vessel's progress on one tack; a tack or board.
5. Course; direction; as, the stretch of seams of coal.
To be on the stretch, to be obliged to use one's utmost powers. — Home stretch. See under Home, adjective
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54