STRETCH
stretch
(adjective) easily stretched; “stretch hosiery”
stretch
(adjective) having an elongated seating area; “a stretch limousine”
reach, reaching, stretch
(noun) the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
stretch
(noun) extension to or beyond the ordinary limit; “running at full stretch”; “by no stretch of the imagination”; “beyond any stretch of his understanding”
stretch, stretching
(noun) exercise designed to extend the limbs and muscles to their full extent
stretch
(noun) a straightaway section of a racetrack
stretch, stretchiness, stretchability
(noun) the capacity for being stretched
stretch
(noun) a large and unbroken expanse or distance; “a stretch of highway”; “a stretch of clear water”
stretch, stint
(noun) an unbroken period of time during which you do something; “there were stretches of boredom”; “he did a stretch in the federal penitentiary”
stretch, extend
(verb) extend one’s limbs or muscles, or the entire body; “Stretch your legs!”; “Extend your right arm above your head”
stretch, stretch out
(verb) extend one’s body or limbs; “Let’s stretch for a minute--we’ve been sitting here for over 3 hours”
stretch
(verb) become longer by being stretched and pulled; “The fabric stretches”
elongate, stretch
(verb) make long or longer by pulling and stretching; “stretch the fabric”
stretch
(verb) extend the scope or meaning of; often unduly; “Stretch the limits”; “stretch my patience”; “stretch the imagination”
stretch
(verb) pull in opposite directions; “During the Inquisition, the torturers would stretch their victims on a rack”
stretch, stretch out
(verb) lie down comfortably; “To enjoy the picnic, we stretched out on the grass”
unfold, stretch, stretch out, extend
(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”
stretch, stretch along
(verb) occupy a large, elongated area; “The park stretched beneath the train line”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
stretch (third-person singular simple present stretches, present participle stretching, simple past and past participle (obsolete) straught or (obsolete) straight or stretched)
(transitive) To lengthen by pulling.
(intransitive) To lengthen when pulled.
(transitive) To pull tight.
(figuratively, transitive) To get more use than expected from a limited resource.
(figuratively, transitive) To make inaccurate by exaggeration.
(intransitive) To extend physically, especially from limit point to limit point.
(intransitive, transitive) To extend one’s limbs or another part of the body in order to improve the elasticity of one's muscles
(intransitive) To extend to a limit point
(transitive) To increase.
(obsolete, colloquial) To stretch the truth; to exaggerate.
(nautical) To sail by the wind under press of canvas.
(slang, transitive, archaic) To execute by hanging.
To make great demands on the capacity or resources of something.
Noun
stretch (plural stretches)
An act of stretching.
The ability to lengthen when pulled.
A course of thought which diverts from straightforward logic, or requires extraordinary belief or exaggeration.
A segment of a journey or route.
A segment or length of material.
(baseball) A quick pitching delivery used when runners are on base where the pitcher slides his leg instead of lifting it.
(baseball) 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.
(informal) Term of address for a tall person.
(horse racing) The homestretch, the final straight section of the track leading to the finish.
A length of time.
(Ireland) Extended daylight hours, especially said of the evening in springtime when compared to the shorter winter days.
(sports) The period of the season between the trade deadline and the beginning of the playoffs.
(slang) A jail or prison term.
(slang) A jail or prison term of one year's duration.
A single uninterrupted sitting; a turn.
A stretch limousine.
Anagrams
• strecht
Source: Wiktionary
Stretch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stretched; p. pr. & vb. n. Stretching.]
Etym: [OE. strecchen, AS. streccan; akin to D. strekken, G. strecken,
OHG. strecchen, Sw. sträcka, Dan. strække; cf. AS. stræck, 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. Chaucer.
I in conquest stretched mine arm. Shak.
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. Shak.
5. To draw or pull out to greater length; to strain; as, to stretch a
tendon or muscle.
Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve. 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.
Burke.
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. 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. Boyle.
4. To strain the truth; to exaggerate; as, a man apt to stretch in
his report of facts. [Obs. or Colloq.]
5. (Naut.)
Definition: 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, 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. Dryden.
Those put a lawful authority upon the stretch, to the abuse of yower,
under the color of prerogative. L'Estrange.
2. A continuous line or surface; a continuous space of time; as,
grassy stretches of land.
A great stretch of cultivated country. W. Black.
But all of them left me a week at a stretch. E. 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. Atterbury.
This is the utmost stretch that nature can. Granville.
4. (Naut.)
Definition: 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.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition