stretch

/stɹˈɛtʃ/ · 1 syllable

Meaning

verb

occupy a large, elongated area
“The park stretched beneath the train line”
extend one's limbs or muscles, or the entire body
“Stretch your legs!”
extend or stretch out to a greater or the full length
“Unfold the newspaper”
become longer by being stretched and pulled
“The fabric stretches”
make long or longer by pulling and stretching
“stretch the fabric”
lie down comfortably
“To enjoy the picnic, we stretched out on the grass”
pull in opposite directions
“During the Inquisition, the torturers would stretch their victims on a rack”
extend the scope or meaning of; often unduly
“Stretch the limits”
corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones
“adulterate liquor”
increase in quantity or bulk by adding a cheaper substance
“stretch the soup by adding some more cream”
extend one's body or limbs
“Let's stretch for a minute--we've been sitting here for over 3 hours”

noun

a large and unbroken expanse or distance
“a stretch of highway”
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
a straightaway section of a racetrack
exercise designed to extend the limbs and muscles to their full extent
extension to or beyond the ordinary limit
“running at full stretch”
an unbroken period of time during which you do something
“there were stretches of boredom”
the capacity for being stretched

adjective

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