1
as in expansion
a wide space or area
a narrow stretch of beach below the cliffs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in space
an indefinite but usually short period of time
there was a cardinal at our bird feeder for a short stretch last spring
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
4
as in distance
the space or amount of space between two points, lines, surfaces, or objects
the longest stretch of the drive without any place to get gas
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to exaggerate
to add to the interest of by including made-up details
it was stretching the truth to say she'd been in the movies: she was once an extra whose scene was cut in the final version
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to lengthen
to make longer
the time it would take to fix the car got stretched from three hours to two days when the part we needed had to be ordered
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to try
to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress
your whining is stretching my patience to the limit
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in flexible
able to revert to original size and shape after being stretched, squeezed, or twisted
stretch fabrics that don't wrinkle or sag
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of stretch
Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
The jeans are durable for support, but come with a bit of stretch.
—Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2025
In Arizona, mosquito season can stretch from March to October, especially after monsoon rains when humidity spikes.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The collection includes the straight-leg Teddy in rigid and stretch fabrics; the ’90s inspired Gus with a relaxed and slouchy fit; the Jackson, a barrel-leg jean with a V-waist; the Kyle, a stretch flare; and the Leo, a straight-meets-barrel silhouette with a high rise.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stretch
Noun
The family settled into their new Lakeland home, in the Lazy Dazy Retreat Mobile Home Park off Highway 98, a rural twolane highway with stretches of commercial and residential development.
—Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
The jeans are durable for support, but come with a bit of stretch.
—Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
Because the planet rotates very fast, these rising and sinking currents get twisted and stretched into horizontal flows, AKA jet streams.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2025
In Arizona, mosquito season can stretch from March to October, especially after monsoon rains when humidity spikes.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Two years ago, the Foundation set a stretch goal to raise half of its revenue inside India through CSR; the team reached it in two years.
—Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The collection includes the straight-leg Teddy in rigid and stretch fabrics; the ’90s inspired Gus with a relaxed and slouchy fit; the Jackson, a barrel-leg jean with a V-waist; the Kyle, a stretch flare; and the Leo, a straight-meets-barrel silhouette with a high rise.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stretch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stretch
Noun
-
The e-commerce and cloud giant will deploy electronic kiosks in One Medical primary care locations starting in December 2025 in the greater Los Angeles area, with expansions to other locations soon after, the company wrote in a press release.—
Jeff Marks,Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Eisler led the control acquisition of the San Diego Wave for the Levine Leichtman family and Rob Cohen’s winning bid to bring an NWSL expansion team to Denver.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In the space of several fraught days, an already difficult situation is compounded by nightmarish setbacks.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
-
While some consumers are reeling back spending in the restaurant and retail space, the new Chipotle offering could cause a surge in Rewards members, boosting overall sales down the line.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The list recognizes a thriving segment of the entertainment industry that includes storytellers across the religious spectrum who are offering up compelling and creative experiences featuring faith and spirituality for broad audiences.—
Variety Staff,
Variety,
14 Oct. 2025
-
On the other end of the spectrum was North Dakota, which was ranked the worst state for hiking on the list.—
Kristine Hansen,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The four pillars of happy, Nordic companies that Autio highlights—autonomy, low power distance, work-life balance and collaboration—come as a package.—
Adam Gale,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
-
But if progress in robotics proceeds anywhere close to the speed of the wider AI industry, that wide distance may nevertheless be traversed in a short space of time.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Whether or not The Bitch of Buchenwald did what is reenacted on the show isn’t relevant, because her activities are placed in the context of a comic book that exaggerates history to make a point — just like Monster does.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Under these conditions, Democrats and Republicans tend to exaggerate the characteristics of the other party based on common stereotypes.—
Ron Barrett,
The Conversation,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The strong currents from flash floods can pull drivers off roadways.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Oct. 2025
-
But institutional gravity is already starting to pull the two organizations together.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Each year, the mining site crept farther south as deposits dwindled, lengthening her father’s commute.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
-
If the commitment is too large, the two governments can look for workarounds, such as lengthening the period of performance, contributing to the investment fund project by project, or credit recent Korean investments.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Some, like Cisco, ranked fifth on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For – Europe list, are instead trying to use the technology to unlock employee potential—and give them back their time.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Then the 72 hour clock begins, and Hamas will try to go earlier if possible.—
Greg Myre,
NPR,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stretch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stretch. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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