stretch

STRECH/stɹɛt͡ʃ/

Verbstretches, stretching, stretched

Noun pluralstretches

24 meanings of stretch

Practice

1
longer by pullingverbtransitive
To pull something so it gets longer or wider, or to get longer or wider when pulled.
Like pulling chewing gum until it gets long and thin.
She stretched the rubber band around the box.
You can stretch the dough with your hands.
Similarlengthen, extend, elongate
Oppositeshrink, contract, compress
Note
2
spanverbintransitive
To reach across an area or distance.
Like a long road that seems to go on as far as you can see.
The desert stretches for miles in every direction.
Forests stretch from the coast to the distant mountains.
UsageSay stretch from one place to another, or stretch for miles.
Similarextend, run, spread, reach
3
limber upverbtransitive or intransitive
To reach out your arms, legs, or body to make your muscles loose.
Like a cat reaching out its legs after a nap.
Every morning she stretches her arms above her head.
Remember to stretch before you go for a run.
UsageStretch your legs means walk around a little.
Similarextend, straighten
4
length of roadnouncountable
A long, unbroken part of something, such as a road, river, piece of land, or cloth.
Like one piece of a very long ribbon.
The last stretch of the drive was full of sharp turns.
We walked a long stretch of beach before lunch.
UsageSay a stretch of road or river.
Similarsection, length, expanse, strip
5
body movementnouncountable
A movement where you reach out your body to loosen your muscles.
Like a yawn for your muscles.
She gave a big stretch when she woke up.
A good stretch helps after sitting all day.
6
time spannouncountable
A period of time without a break, often spent doing one thing.
For a stretch of three years, the old house stood empty.
There was a quiet stretch after the holidays.
UsageAt a stretch means without stopping.
Similarperiod, spell, stint
7
increaseverbtransitive
To make something greater in amount or size.
Like a runner pulling further and further ahead in a race.
She stretched her lead to twenty meters before the finish line.
A late goal helped the team stretch their lead before halftime.
Similarextend, increase, widen, expand, build
Oppositereduce, cut, narrow, shrink
8
push limitsverbtransitive
To push something close to its limits by needing too much from it.
Like asking one person to do the work of three.
The new project really stretches our small team.
Too many patients can stretch a hospital's resources.
UsageOften stretched thin or stretched to the limit.
Similarstrain, tax, overtax, overload, overburden
Oppositeease, relieve
9
elastic qualitynoununcountable
How much a material can grow longer when you pull it.
Like how far a rubber band can grow before it snaps back.
These jeans have a lot of stretch in them.
The new fabric has plenty of stretch for comfort.
Similarelasticity, give, flexibility, springiness, spring
Oppositerigidity, stiffness, inflexibility
10
tightenverbtransitive
To pull something so that it becomes tight and straight.
Like pulling a rubber band tight between your hands.
Stretch the rope tight before you tie the knot.
She stretched the canvas across the wooden frame.
Similartighten, tauten, pull, draw
Oppositeloosen, slacken, relax
11
unlikely claimnouncountable
An idea that is hard to believe because it goes too far.
Like guessing how a whole book ends from reading just one page.
Calling that movie a classic is a real stretch.
It's a stretch to say he did all the work himself.
UsageOften a bit of a stretch. By no stretch of the imagination means not at all.
Similarreach, leap
12
make lastverbfigurativelytransitive
To make a small amount of money or supplies last longer than expected.
Like making one bag of candy last all week.
She stretches her paycheck to cover the whole month.
We had to stretch our food supplies until help arrived.
UsageOften with money: stretch your paycheck, stretch every dollar.
Similarspread, ration
Oppositesquander, waste
13
home straightnouncountable
The last straight part of a racetrack, just before the finish line.
The horse pulled ahead in the final stretch.
She urged her horse down the stretch to win the race.
UsageUsually down the stretch.
Similarstraight, straightaway
Note
14
late seasonnoun
The last part of a sports season, before the playoffs.
Like the last part of a long race, just before the finish line.
The team won eight of its last ten games down the stretch.
Injuries hurt the team down the stretch, and they missed the playoffs.
UsageOften the stretch run.
Note

Less common meanings

15
prison timenounslangcountable
Time that someone spends in prison.
He did a long stretch for robbery.
She came out a changed woman after a five-year stretch.
UsageSay do a stretch, or a five-year stretch.
Similarsentence, term
16
limousinenounabbreviationellipsis
Short for stretch limousine: a very long, fancy car.
A white stretch pulled up outside the hotel.
They rented a stretch for the wedding.
Note
17
nickname (tall)nouncolloquial
A friendly nickname used when talking to a very tall person.
Hey, Stretch, can you reach that shelf for me?
Nice catch, Stretch. You saved the game.
UsageWritten with a capital letter: Hey, Stretch.
Oppositeshorty
Note
18
baseball pitchingnoun
In baseball, a shorter way of pitching without the full windup, used mostly when runners are on base.
Like getting ready to throw fast without taking a big swing first.
The pitcher threw from the stretch with a runner on first.
He uses the stretch to keep runners close to the base.
UsageUsually from the stretch.
Note
19
first base reachnouncountable
A long reach by a first baseman who keeps one foot on the base to catch the ball faster.
Like reaching as far as you can to grab something without lifting your feet.
His big stretch at first base beat the runner by a step.
She made a great stretch to catch the wide throw.
Similarreach, extension
Note
20
lighter eveningsnounIrelandcountable
The extra daylight in the evenings, especially in spring after the short days of winter.
Like the sun staying up later and later as winter turns to spring.
There's a lovely stretch in the evenings now that spring is here.
There's a grand stretch in the evenings now that it's March.
UsagePeople say there's a stretch in the evenings.
Note
21
nounarchaicUK
A walk taken for exercise or fresh air.
In the afternoon I went for a stretch into the country, & about 4 it cleared up pretty well, so I hurried back & we got a cart & drove to Bassano, a little town about 8 miles off, that we wanted to see.
a. 1941, Evelyn Underhill, quoted in 2010Here, stretch means a walk taken for exercise or pleasure.
Note
22
verbarchaictransitive
To kill someone by hanging them.
Similarhang
Note
23
overstateverb
To say something is bigger, better, or more true than it really is.
Like making a small fish sound huge when you tell the story.
Dad tends to stretch the truth about the fish he catches.
She stretched the facts to make her trip sound exciting.
Note
24
verb
To sail a ship close to the wind with all the sails out.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of stretch apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English streċċan, meaning to stretch or spread out. It goes back to old Germanic and Indo-European roots meaning stiff or tight.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Stretch derives from Old English streċċan, meaning to stretch or spread out. en.wiktionary.org
The word traces back to Germanic and Indo-European roots associated with tightness and stiffness. en.wiktionary.org