AskDefine | Define stretch

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Dictionary Definition

stretch adj
1 having an elongated seating area; "a stretch limousine" [syn: stretch(a)]
2 easily stretched; "stretch hosiery"

Noun

1 a large and unbroken expanse or distance; "a stretch of highway"; "a stretch of clear water"
2 the act of physically reaching or thrusting out [syn: reach, reaching]
3 a straightaway section of a racetrack
4 exercise designed to extend the limbs and muscles to their full extent [syn: stretching]
5 extension to or beyond the ordinary limit; "running at full stretch"; "by no stretch of the imagination"; "beyond any stretch of his understanding"
6 an unbroken period of time during which you do something; "there were stretches of boredom"; "he did a stretch in the federal penitentiary" [syn: stint]
7 the capacity for being stretched [syn: stretchiness, stretchability]

Verb

1 occupy a large, elongated area; "The park stretched beneath the train line" [syn: stretch along]
2 extend one's limbs or muscles, or the entire body; "Stretch your legs!"; "Extend your right arm above your head" [syn: extend]
3 extend or stretch out to a greater or the full length; "Unfold the newspaper"; "stretch out that piece of cloth"; "extend the TV antenna" [syn: unfold, stretch out, extend]
4 become longer by being stretched and pulled; "The fabric stretches" [ant: shrink]
5 make long or longer by pulling and stretching; "stretch the fabric" [syn: elongate]
6 lie down comfortably; "To enjoy the picnic, we stretched out on the grass" [syn: stretch out]
7 pull in opposite directions; "During the Inquisition, the torturers would stretch their victims on a rack"
8 extend the scope or meaning of; often unduly; "Stretch the limits"; "stretch my patience"; "stretch the imagination"
9 corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones; "adulterate liquor" [syn: adulterate, dilute, debase]
10 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" [syn: extend]
11 extend one's body or limbs; "Let's stretch for a minute--we've been sitting here for over 3 hours" [syn: stretch out]

User Contributed Dictionary

English

Pronunciation

Verb

  1. To lengthen by pulling.
    I stretched the rubber band until it almost broke.
  2. To pull tight.
    First, stretch the skin over the frame of the drum.
  3. To get more use than expected from a limited resource.
    I managed to stretch my coffee supply a few more days.
  4. To try to make too much of.
    To say crossing the street was brave is stretching the meaning of "brave" considerably.
  5. To lengthen when pulled.
    The rubber band stretched almost to the breaking point.
  6. To extend one’s limbs or body in order to stretch the muscles.
    I woke up, yawned and stretched.

Translations

lengthen by pulling
pull tight
get more than expected from a limited resource
try to make too much of
lengthen when pulled
extend one’s limbs or body in order to stretch the muscles

Noun

  1. An act of stretching.
    I was right in the middle of a stretch when the phone rang.
    To say crossing the street was brave was quite a stretch.
  2. The ability to lengthen when pulled.
    That rubber band has quite a bit of stretch.
  3. A course of thought which similarly diverts from 'straight' logic
  4. A segment of a journey or route.
    It was an easy trip except for the last stretch, which took forever.
  5. A quick pitching delivery used when runners are on base where the pitcher slides his leg instead of lifting it.
  6. 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.
  7. A length of time
    He did a 7-year stretch in jail.

Translations

act of stretching
ability to lengthen when pulled
segment of a journey or route
to be checked

Related terms

Extensive Definition

Stretch can refer to:
stretch in German: Stretch

Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words

adaptability, adaptable, adaptive, add to, aesthetic distance, aggrandize, airing, amble, amplify, amplitude, and quarter, answer, archery ground, area, athletic field, athletics, augment, avail, badminton court, balloon, ballyhoo, baseball field, basketball court, be equal to, be lengthy, be prolonged, bear, belong, bend, billiard parlor, bit, bloat, bloating, blow up, bounce, bounciness, bouncy, bowling alley, bowling green, breadth, break, breaking point, breather, broaden, build, build up, bulk, bulk out, buoyance, buoyancy, buoyant, burlesque, calisthenics, caricature, carry, carry too far, clearance, compass, constitutional, continue, continuous tenure, course, court, cover, crane, crescendo, cricket ground, croquet ground, croquet lawn, daily dozen, day, deep space, depths of space, develop, diamond, diapason, dilate, dimensions, distance, distend, distension, distort, divergence, do, do it, drag out, draw, draw out, draw the longbow, drill, elastic, elasticity, elongate, elongation, embellish, encompass, enlarge, enlistment, environ, exaggerate, exercise, exercising, expand, expanse, expansion, extend, extend out, extensibility, extensile, extension, extent, extreme tension, fairway, farness, fateful moment, field, fill out, fill the bill, fit, flexibility, flexible, flexile, football field, forced march, fudge, fulfill, gamut, get by, gibbet, give, glaciarium, go, go around, go out, go to extremes, golf course, golf links, greaten, gridiron, gym, gymnasium, gymnastic exercises, gymnastics, hack it, hang, haul, heave, hike, hike up, hitch, hold, hour, hyperbolize, ice rink, increase, infield, infinity, inflate, inflation, instant, interval, isometrics, jaunt, juncture, just do, kairos, lay it on, leeway, length, lengthen, lengthen out, lengthening, lengthiness, let out, lie, light-years, linear measures, links, liveliness, lively, long time, longitude, longness, lynch, magnify, make, make much of, make the grade, march, margin, measure, meet, meet requirements, mileage, minute, moment, moment of truth, mush, neck, noose, orbit, outfield, outreach, outstretch, oval, overall length, overcharge, overdevelop, overdistend, overdistension, overdo, overdraw, overdrawing, overestimate, overexert, overexertion, overexpand, overexpansion, overextend, overextension, overpaint, overpraise, overreach, overreact, oversell, overspeak, overstate, overstrain, overstraining, overstress, overstretch, overstretching, overtax, overtaxing, pad, parade, parsecs, pass, pass muster, period, peripatetic journey, peripateticism, perpetuity, perspective, physical education, physical jerks, piece, pile it on, playground, playing field, playroom, point, polo ground, pool hall, poolroom, practice, pregnant moment, press, prison term, produce, production, prolong, prolongate, prolongation, promenade, protract, protraction, psychological moment, puff, puff up, pull, pull out, pump, pump up, purview, putting green, qualify, racecourse, rack, racket court, radius, raise, ramble, range, rarefy, reach, reach out, rebound, region, register, remoteness, resilience, resiliency, resilient, responsive, responsiveness, rink, roll, run, satisfy, saunter, scale, schlep, scop, scope, scrag, season, section, separation, serve, serve the purpose, setting-up exercises, skating rink, snap, snapping point, snowball, soccer field, space, span, spectrum, spell, spin out, sprawl, spread, spring, springiness, springy, squash court, stage, stand, stand on tiptoes, stand up, stint, straddle, straggle, strain, strain every nerve, straining, stress, stress and strain, stressfulness, stretch out, stretch the truth, stretchability, stretchable, stretchiness, stretching, stretchy, stride, string out, string up, stringing out, stroll, suffice, sufflate, supple, surround, sweat blood, sweep, swell, swelling, take in, take it, talk big, talk in superlatives, tauten, tax, taxing, tennis court, tense, tension, tenure, term, thrust out, tighten, time, time lag, tone, tonicity, tonus, tour, tour of duty, tout, track, tract, traipse, tramp, travesty, trudge, tug, tumefy, turf, turn, up, walk, walking tour, warp, way, ways, whet, while, whippy, widen, work, workout, yardage, yoga
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