stretcher

1 of 2

noun

stretch·​er ˈstre-chər 

1

a

: one that stretches

especially : a device or machine for stretching or expanding something

b

: an exaggerated story : a tall tale

2

a

: a brick or stone laid with its length parallel to the face of the wall

b

: a timber or rod used especially when horizontal as a tie in framed work

3

: a device for carrying a sick, injured, or dead person

4

: a rod or bar extending between two legs of a chair or table

stretcher

2 of 2

verb

stretchered; stretchering; stretchers

transitive verb

: to carry or transport on a stretcher

Examples of stretcher in a Sentence

Noun

They carried her out to the ambulance on a stretcher.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

So much so that Tim Ream, Fulham’s USMNT centre-back and the closest player to the incident, held his hand throughout the next 12 minutes before the United defender was carried off on a stretcher. —Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025

Emergency team members were also shown carrying a stretcher. —Escher Walcott, People.com, 13 Jan. 2025

Verb

The stool features stability stretchers on the base that double as footrests and create visual interest. —Addie Morton, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Jan. 2024

Downstairs, the hospital’s E.R. was in full, frenetic swing—the nurses drawing blood, the techs gathering vital signs, the doctors migrating from stretcher to stretcher in small teams. —Ricardo Nuila, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1973, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

stretcher

noun

stretch·​er

ˈstrech-ər

1

: one that stretches

especially : a device or machine for stretching or expanding something

2

: a device that resembles a cot and is used for carrying a sick, injured, or dead person

Medical Definition

stretcher

noun

stretch·​er ˈstrech-ər 

: a device for carrying a sick, injured, or dead person