stretch

stretch  (strch)

v. stretched, stretch·ing, stretch·es

v.tr.

1. To lengthen, widen, or distend: stretched the sweater out of shape.

2. To cause to extend from one place to another or across a given space: stretched the banner between two poles.

3. To make taut; tighten: stretched the tarpaulin until it ripped.

4. To reach or put forth; extend: stretched out his hand.

5.

a. To extend (oneself or one's limbs, for example) to full length: stretched her calves before running.

b. To extend (oneself) when lying down: she stretched herself out on the couch.

c. To put to torture on the rack.

6. To wrench or strain (a muscle, for example).

7.

a. To extend or enlarge beyond the usual or proper limits: stretch the meaning of a word.

b. To subject to undue strain: to stretch one's patience.

8.

a. To expand in order to fulfill a larger function: stretch a budget; stretch a paycheck.

b. To increase the quantity of by admixture or dilution: stretch a meal by thinning the stew.

9. To prolong: stretch out an argument.

10. Informal To fell by a blow: stretched his opponent in the first round.

v.intr.

1. To become lengthened, widened, or distended.

2. To extend or reach over a distance or area or in a given direction: "On both sides of us stretched the wet plain" Ernest Hemingway.

3. To lie down at full length: stretched out on the bed.

4. To extend one's muscles or limbs, as after prolonged sitting or on awakening.

5. To extend over a given period of time: "This story stretches over a whole generation" William Golding.

n.

1. The act of stretching or the state of being stretched.

2. The extent or scope to which something can be stretched; elasticity.

3. A continuous or unbroken length, area, or expanse: an empty stretch of highway.

4. A straight section of a racecourse or track, especially the section leading to the finish line.

5.

a. A continuous period of time.

b. Slang A term of imprisonment: served a two-year stretch.

c. Informal The last stage of an event, period, or process.

6. Baseball A movement in which a pitcher, standing with the glove side facing home plate, raises both hands to the height of the head and then lowers them to the chest or waist for a short pause before pitching the ball. It is used as an alternative to a wind-up, especially when runners are on base.

adj.

1. Made of an elastic material that stretches easily: stretch pants.

2. Of, relating to, or being a vehicle, such as a limousine or passenger jet, having an extended seating area that provides extra space for more passengers, leg room, or amenities.

Idiom:

stretch (one's) legs

To go for a walk, especially after a lengthy period of sitting.

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[Middle English strecchen, from Old English streccan.]

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stretcha·bili·ty n.

stretcha·ble adj.

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stretch

Verb

1. stretch over or for to extend or spread over (a specified distance): the flood barrier stretches for several miles

2. to draw out or extend (something) or to be drawn out or extended in length or area

3. to distort or lengthen (something) or to be distorted or lengthened permanently

4. to extend (the limbs or body), for example when one has just woken up

5. (often foll. by out, forward)etc. to reach or hold out (a part of one's body)

6. to reach or suspend (a rope, etc.) from one place to another

7. to draw (something) tight; tighten

8. (usually foll. by over)to extend in time: a dinner which stretched over three consecutive evenings

9. to put a great strain upon (one's money or resources)

10. to make do with (limited resources): the Walkers decided to stretch their budget

11. to extend (someone) to the limit of his or her abilities

12. to extend (someone) to the limit of his or her tolerance

13. stretch a point to make an exception not usually made

Noun

1. the act of stretching

2. a large or continuous expanse or distance: this stretch of desert

3. extent in time

4. a term of imprisonment

5. at a stretch Chiefly Brit & NZ

a. with some difficulty; by making a special effort

b. at one time: for hours at a stretch they had no conversation

Adjective

(of clothes) able to be stretched without permanently losing shape: a stretch suit [Old English streccan]

stretchy adj

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	stretch - a large and unbroken expanse or distance; "a stretch of highway"; "a stretch of clear water" expanse - a wide and open space or area as of surface or land or sky slack water, slack - a stretch of water without current or movement; "suddenly they were in a slack and the water was motionless"
	2.	stretch - the act of physically reaching or thrusting out reaching, reach movement, motility, motion, move - a change of position that does not entail a change of location; "the reflex motion of his eyebrows revealed his surprise"; "movement is a sign of life"; "an impatient move of his hand"; "gastrointestinal motility" outreach - the act of reaching out; "the outreach toward truth of the human spirit"
	3.	stretch - a straightaway section of a racetrack racing - the sport of engaging in contests of speed homestretch - the straight stretch of a racetrack leading to the finish line racecourse, racetrack, raceway, track - a course over which races are run straightaway, straight - a straight segment of a roadway or racecourse
	4.	stretch - exercise designed to extend the limbs and muscles to their full extent stretching exercise, exercising, physical exercise, physical exertion, workout - the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit; "the doctor recommended regular exercise"; "he did some exercising"; "the physical exertion required by his work kept him fit" pandiculation - yawning and stretching (as when first waking up)
	5.	stretch - extension to or beyond the ordinary limit; "running at full stretch"; "by no stretch of the imagination"; "beyond any stretch of his understanding" extension - act of expanding in scope; making more widely available; "extension of the program to all in need"
	6.	stretch - an unbroken period of time during which you do something; "there were stretches of boredom"; "he did a stretch in the federal penitentiary" stint duration, continuance - the period of time during which something continues
	7.	stretch - the capacity for being stretched stretchability, stretchiness elasticity, snap - the tendency of a body to return to its original shape after it has been stretched or compressed; "the waistband had lost its snap"
Verb	1.	stretch - occupy a large, elongated area; "The park stretched beneath the train line" stretch along be - occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere; "Where is my umbrella?" "The toolshed is in the back"; "What is behind this behavior?"
	2.	stretch - extend one's limbs or muscles, or the entire body; "Stretch your legs!"; "Extend your right arm above your head" extend tense up, tense, strain - cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious; "he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up" spread-eagle - stretch out completely; "They spread-eagled him across the floor" crane, stretch out - stretch (the neck) so as to see better; "The women craned their necks to see the President drive by"
	3.	stretch - 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 out, unfold, extend change form, change shape, deform - assume a different shape or form extend - open or straighten out; unbend; "Can we extend the legs of this dining table?"
	4.	stretch - become longer by being stretched and pulled; "The fabric stretches" grow - become larger, greater, or bigger; expand or gain; "The problem grew too large for me"; "Her business grew fast" yield, give - be flexible under stress of physical force; "This material doesn't give" shrink, contract - become smaller or draw together; "The fabric shrank"; "The balloon shrank"
	5.	stretch - make long or longer by pulling and stretching; "stretch the fabric" elongate lengthen - make longer; "Lengthen this skirt, please" shoetree, tree - stretch (a shoe) on a shoetree
	6.	stretch - lie down comfortably; "To enjoy the picnic, we stretched out on the grass" stretch out lie down, lie - assume a reclining position; "lie down on the bed until you feel better"
	7.	stretch - pull in opposite directions; "During the Inquisition, the torturers would stretch their victims on a rack" pull back, draw - stretch back a bowstring (on an archer's bow); "The archers were drawing their bows" draw, pull, force - cause to move by pulling; "draw a wagon"; "pull a sled"
	8.	stretch - extend the scope or meaning of; often unduly; "Stretch the limits"; "stretch my patience"; "stretch the imagination" extend, broaden, widen - extend in scope or range or area; "The law was extended to all citizens"; "widen the range of applications"; "broaden your horizon"; "Extend your backyard"
	9.	stretch - corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones; "adulterate liquor" adulterate, dilute, debase, load stretch, extend - 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" spoil, corrupt - alter from the original water down - thin by adding water to; "They watered down the moonshine" doctor, doctor up, sophisticate - alter and make impure, as with the intention to deceive; "Sophisticate rose water with geraniol"
	10.	stretch - 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" extend increase - make bigger or more; "The boss finally increased her salary"; "The university increased the number of students it admitted" adulterate, dilute, debase, load, stretch - corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones; "adulterate liquor"
	11.	stretch - extend one's body or limbs; "Let's stretch for a minute--we've been sitting here for over 3 hours" stretch out move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right"
Adj.	1.	stretch - having an elongated seating area; "a stretch limousine" long - primarily spatial sense; of relatively great or greater than average spatial extension or extension as specified; "a long road"; "a long distance"; "contained many long words"; "ten miles long"
	2.	stretch - easily stretched; "stretch hosiery" elastic - capable of resuming original shape after stretching or compression; springy; "an elastic band"; "a youthful and elastic walk"

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stretch

verb 1. extend, cover, spread, reach, unfold, put forth, unroll

verb 2. last, continue, go on, extend, carry on, reach

verb 3. expand, lengthen, be elastic, be stretchy

verb 4. pull, distend, pull out of shape, strain, swell, tighten, rack, inflate, lengthen, draw out, elongate

verb 5. hold out, offer, present, extend, proffer

noun 6. expanse, area, tract, spread, distance, sweep, extent

noun 7. period, time, spell, stint, run, term, bit, space

Translations

stretch [strɛtʃ] n [of sand etc] → trecho; [of road] → tramo; [of time] → período, tiempo

vi → estirarse (= extend): to stretch to or as far as → extenderse hasta (= be enough) [money, food]: to stretch to → alcanzar para, dar de sí para

vt → extender, estirar (= make demands of); exigir el máximo esfuerzo a;

to stretch one's legs → estirar las piernas

stretch out vi → tenderse

vt [+ arm etc] → extender (= spread); estirar

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stretch [strɛtʃ] n [of sand etc] → étendue f [of time]; période f

vi → s'étirer (= extend);

to stretch to or as far as → s'étendre jusqu'à (= be enough) [money, food];

to stretch to → aller pour vt → tendre, étirer (= spread); étendre (fig); pousser (au maximum);

at a stretch → d'affilée;

to stretch a muscle → se distendre un muscle;

to stretch one's legs → se dégourdir les jambes

stretch out vi → s'étendre

vt [+ arm etc] → allonger, tendre (= to spread); étendre;

to stretch out for sth → allonger la main pour prendre qch

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stretch [strɛtʃ] n (of sand, water etc) → Stück nt;

(of time) → Zeit f

vi (person, animal) → sich strecken;

(land, area) → sich erstrecken

vt (pull) → spannen (fig) (job, task) → fordern;

at a stretch → an einem Stück, ohne Unterbrechung;

by no stretch of the imagination → beim besten Willen nicht;

to stretch to or as far as the frontier (extend) → sich bis zur Grenze erstrecken;

to stretch one's legs → sich dat die Beine vertreten

stretch out stretch vi → sich ausstrecken

vt → ausstrecken

stretch to stretch vt fus (be enough) → reichen für

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stretch [strɛtʃ] n [of sand etc] → distesa; [of time] → periodo

vi → stirarsi (= extend): to stretch to or as far as → estendersi fino a (= be enough) [money, food]: to stretch (to) → bastare (per)

vt → tendere, allungare (= spread); distendere;

(fig) → spingere (al massimo);

at a stretch → ininterrottamente;

to stretch a muscle → tendere un muscolo;

to stretch one's legs → sgranchirsi le gambe

stretch out vi → allungarsi, estendersi

vt [+ arm etc] → allungare, tendere (= spread); distendere;

to stretch out for sth → allungare la mano per prendere qc