stretch

[stretch]

To stretch is to extend or lengthen something beyond the normal length. You stretched both your vacation and the truth when you called out of work on Monday saying your flight home from Ibiza was canceled.

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To reach out; to extend; to put forth.

Noun
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out

Noun
extension to or beyond the ordinary limit; "running at full stretch"; "by no stretch of the imagination"; "beyond any stretch of his understanding"

Noun
exercise designed to extend the limbs and muscles to their full extent

Noun
a straightaway section of a racetrack

Noun
the capacity for being stretched

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Noun
a large and unbroken expanse or distance; "a stretch of highway"; "a stretch of clear water"

Noun
an unbroken period of time during which you do something; "there were stretches of boredom"; "he did a stretch in the federal penitentiary"

Verb
extend one''s limbs or muscles, or the entire body; "Stretch your legs!"; "Extend your right arm above your head"

Verb
extend one''s body or limbs; "Let''s stretch for a minute--we''ve been sitting here for over 3 hours"

Verb
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"

Verb
become longer by being stretched and pulled; "The fabric stretches"

Verb
make long or longer by pulling and stretching; "stretch the fabric"

Verb
corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones; "adulterate liquor"

Verb
extend the scope or meaning of; often unduly; "Stretch the limits"; "stretch my patience"; "stretch the imagination"

Verb
pull in opposite directions; "During the Inquisition, the torturers would stretch their victims on a rack"

Verb
lie down comfortably; "To enjoy the picnic, we stretched out on the grass"

Verb
extend or stretch out to a greater or the full length; "Unfold the newspaper"; "stretch out that piece of cloth"; "extend the TV antenna"

Verb
occupy a large, elongated area; "The park stretched beneath the train line"

Adjective S.
easily stretched; "stretch hosiery"


v. t.
To reach out; to extend; to put forth.

v. t.
To draw out to the full length; to cause to extend in a straight line; as, to stretch a cord or rope.

v. t.
To cause to extend in breadth; to spread; to expand; as, to stretch cloth; to stretch the wings.

v. t.
To make tense; to tighten; to distend forcibly.

v. t.
To draw or pull out to greater length; to strain; as, to stretch a tendon or muscle.

v. t.
To exaggerate; to extend too far; as, to stretch the truth; to stretch one's credit.

v. i.
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.

v. i.
To extend or spread one's self, or one's limbs; as, the lazy man yawns and stretches.

v. i.
To be extended, or to bear extension, without breaking, as elastic or ductile substances.

v. i.
To strain the truth; to exaggerate; as, a man apt to stretch in his report of facts.

v. i.
To sail by the wind under press of canvas; as, the ship stretched to the eastward.

n.
Act of stretching, or state of being stretched; reach; effort; struggle; strain; as, a stretch of the limbs; a stretch of the imagination.

n.
A continuous line or surface; a continuous space of time; as, grassy stretches of land.

n.
The extent to which anything may be stretched.

n.
The reach or extent of a vessel's progress on one tack; a tack or board.

n.
Course; direction; as, the stretch of seams of coal.


Stretch

Stretch , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stretched ; p. pr. & vb. n. Stretching.] [OE. strecchen, AS. streccan; akin to D. strekken, G. strecken, OHG. strecchen, Sw. str'84cka, Dan. str'91kke; cf. AS. str'91ck, 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.
I in conquest stretched mine arm.
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.
5. To draw or pull out to greater length; to strain; as, to stretch a tendon or muscle.
Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve.
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.

Stretch

Stretch, v. i. 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.
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.
4. To strain the truth; to exaggerate; as, a man apt to stretch in his report of facts. [Obs. or Colloq.] 5. (Naut.) To sail by the wind under press of canvas; as, the ship stretched to the eastward. Ham. Nav. Encyc. Stretch out, an order to rowers to extend themselves forward in dipping the oar.

Stretch

Stretch, n. 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.
Those put a lawful authority upon the stretch, to the abuse of yower, under the color of prerogative.
2. A continuous line or surface; a continuous space of time; as, grassy stretches of land.
A great stretch of cultivated country.
But all of them left me a week at a stretch.
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.
This is the utmost stretch that nature can.
4. (Naut.) 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, a.

To reach out; to extend; to put forth.

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.

Act of stretching, or state of being stretched; reach; effort; struggle; strain; as, a stretch of the limbs; a stretch of the imagination.

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Usage Examples

Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over the whole of time.

In all realms of life it takes courage to stretch your limits, express your power, and fulfill your potential... it's no different in the financial realm.

I come from the New York theatre world, and I have a lot of gay male friends, so this friendship of Will and Grace's isn't such a stretch.

Singing really oxygenates your blood. You stretch your lungs and take in much more air into them than before. It's really good for your health.

I practice yoga at home to a TV show called 'Inhale,' taught by Steve Ross. I figured that if the people on the show could stretch that deep then I could too. I ended up pulling my hip flexor. But that's how I met my husband. Paul was the physical therapist my coach called to meet with me after hours.

A certificate of live birth is not the same thing by any stretch of the imagination as a birth certificate.

It's a slight stretch of the imagination but most people are alike in most ways so I've never had any trouble identifying with the character that I'm playing.

It is clear that the pharmaceutical industry is not, by any stretch of the imagination, doing enough to ensure that the poor have access to adequate medical care.

Misspelled Form

stretch, astretch, wstretch, estretch, dstretch, xstretch, zstretch, atretch, wtretch, etretch, dtretch, xtretch, ztretch, satretch, swtretch, setretch, sdtretch, sxtretch, sztretch, srtretch, s5tretch, s6tretch, sytretch, sgtretch, srretch, s5retch, s6retch, syretch, sgretch, strretch, st5retch, st6retch, styretch, stgretch, steretch, st4retch, st5retch, sttretch, stfretch, steetch, st4etch, st5etch, sttetch, stfetch, streetch, str4etch, str5etch, strtetch, strfetch, strwetch, str3etch, str4etch, strretch, strsetch, strdetch, strwtch, str3tch, str4tch, strrtch, strstch, strdtch, strewtch, stre3tch, stre4tch, strertch, strestch, stredtch, strertch, stre5tch, stre6tch, streytch, stregtch, strerch, stre5ch, stre6ch, streych, stregch, stretrch, stret5ch, stret6ch, stretych, stretgch, stretxch, stretdch, stretfch, stretvch, stret ch, stretxh, stretdh, stretfh, stretvh, stret h, stretcxh, stretcdh, stretcfh, stretcvh, stretc h, stretcgh, stretcyh, stretcuh, stretcjh, stretcnh, stretcg, stretcy, stretcu, stretcj, stretcn, stretchg, stretchy, stretchu, stretchj, stretchn.

Other Usage Examples

I'm not a passive person by any stretch of the imagination.

I wouldn't say that I've had a tough life by any stretch of the imagination.

Busted is not the ideal band I'd like to be in by any stretch of the imagination.

I definitely gravitate towards quality genre projects and genre of any kind whether it's science fiction, horror or really anything. I'm just drawn to quality. I don't think 'Darkness Falls' is horror there isn't any gore by any stretch of the imagination.

I'd love to play more challenging roles, characters that would stretch my comfort zone and imagination.

I have no idea why I write. The old standards are: I like to express my feelings, stretch my imagination, earn money.

I work out twice a day, once in the morning and once before bed. I'll start with half an hour of running and then some yoga to stretch everything out so everything is warm.

I get very nervous whenever I think about it. I've never done a serious play, and I have such awe of the woman - she's really my only idol. It's going to be a big stretch - certain people come out on stage and your face muscles automatically tense and you get ready to smile.

Fantastic! Right in the middle of that long stretch between Christmas and Spring Break, your coats are getting dirty, everything's dark, dingy - what a great time for a movie!

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