by any/no stretch of the imagination
idiom
—used to emphasize that something is not true, does not happen, etc.
They're not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.
By no stretch of the imagination does the factory operate efficiently.
Examples of by any/no stretch of the imagination in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But neither the immigration protests in Los Angeles nor the crime rate in DC qualify as an insurrection, by any stretch of the imagination.
—
William Hartung, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Long Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos No, the island of Provo—the traveler’s gateway to Turks and Caicos’s 40-odd islands and cays—isn’t undiscovered by any stretch of the imagination.
—Kristin Braswell, AFAR Media, 14 Aug. 2025
With a population of just 18, the former dairy community of Harmony isn’t a town by any stretch of the imagination.
—Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 26 July 2025
The movie isn’t good by any stretch of the imagination.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for by any/no stretch of the imagination
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William Hartung, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Long Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos No, the island of Provo—the traveler’s gateway to Turks and Caicos’s 40-odd islands and cays—isn’t undiscovered by any stretch of the imagination.
—Kristin Braswell, AFAR Media, 14 Aug. 2025
With a population of just 18, the former dairy community of Harmony isn’t a town by any stretch of the imagination.
—Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 26 July 2025
The movie isn’t good by any stretch of the imagination.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for by any/no stretch of the imagination
Cite this Entry
“By any/no stretch of the imagination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/by%20any%2Fno%20stretch%20of%20the%20imagination. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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