stretch

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   To lengthen by pulling.

   • I stretched the rubber band until it almost broke.
2. 2

   To lengthen when pulled.

   • The rubber band stretched almost to the breaking point.
   • The inner membrane […] because it would stretch and yield, remained unbroken.
3. 3

   To pull tight.

   • First, stretch the skin over the frame of the drum.
4. ›+ 24 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      To extend one’s limbs or another part of the body, for example in order to improve the…

      To extend one’s limbs or another part of the body, for example in order to improve the elasticity of one's muscles.

      • I always stretch my muscles before exercising.
      • When the cat woke up, it yawned and stretched.
   2. 5

      To extend physically, especially from a limit point and/or to a limit point.

      • The beach stretches from Cresswell to Amble.
      • Behind them, stretching in a long line east and west, were the Roan and Book Cliffs, cut to their base by the river's gorge, and meandering away in long wavy lines distorted by heat haze and the smoke of forest fires.
   3. 6

      To get more use than expected from a limited resource.

      • I managed to stretch my coffee supply a few more days.
   4. 7

      To make inaccurate by exaggeration.

      • To say crossing the street was brave is stretching the meaning of "brave" considerably.
      • To say he's been to this park a million times is stretching the numbers. The true number is around 30 or 40.
   5. 8

      To make great demands on the capacity or resources of something.

      • Her bizarre explanation really stretches credulity.
   6. 9

      To increase.

      • Yakubu took advantage of John Ruddy's error to put the visitors back in front, with Chris Samba's header stretching their advantage.
   7. 10

      To increase, to grow.

      • As I sat in the waiting room, the minutes stretched into hours.
      • Unless we rekindle our communication skills, the 2020s "loneliness epidemic" could stretch into a "solitary century."
   8. 11

      To sail by the wind under press of canvas.

      • The ship stretched to the eastward.
   9. 12

      To make a pulse or particle bunch longer by applying dispersion to it.

      • Diffraction gratings are by far the most common elements used to stretch and compress pulses because of their substantial angular dispersion, […]
   10. 13

       To execute by hanging.

   11. 14

       To stretch the truth

       To stretch the truth; to exaggerate.

       • a man apt to stretch in his report of facts
   12. 15

       An act of stretching.

       • I was right in the middle of a stretch when the phone rang.
   13. 16

       The ability to lengthen when pulled.

       • That rubber band has quite a bit of stretch.
   14. 17

       A course of thought which diverts from straightforward logic, or requires extraordinary…

       A course of thought which diverts from straightforward logic, or requires extraordinary belief or exaggeration.

       • It's a bit of a stretch to call Boris Karloff a comedian.
       • To say crossing the street was brave was quite a stretch.
   15. 18

       A segment of a journey or route.

       • It was an easy trip except for the last stretch, which took forever.
       • It's a tough stretch of road in the winter, especially without chains.
   16. 19

       A segment or length of material.

       • a stretch of cloth
   17. 20

       A walk.

       • 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.
   18. 21

       A quick pitching delivery used when runners are on base where the pitcher slides his leg…

       A quick pitching delivery used when runners are on base where the pitcher slides his leg instead of lifting it.

   19. 22

       A long reach in the direction of the ball with a foot remaining on the base by a first…

       A long reach in the direction of the ball with a foot remaining on the base by a first baseman in order to catch the ball sooner.

   20. 23

       Term of address for a tall person.

       • Amelia: I mean, you're already a dwarf. Gura: Oh, OK, Stretch.
   21. 24

       The homestretch, the final straight section of the track leading to the finish.

   22. 25

       A length of time.

       • After the harvest there was a stretch of clear dry weather, and the animals toiled harder than ever […]
   23. 26

       Ellipsis of stretch limousine.

   24. 27

       A surname.

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