1. Extend one's limbs or muscles, or the entire body
   "Stretch your legs!";
   - extend
    
2. Occupy a large, elongated area
   "The park stretched beneath the train line";
   - stretch along
    
3. Make longer or of full length; remove folds by pulling
   "stretch out that piece of cloth";
   - unfold, stretch out, extend
    
4. Make long or longer by pulling and stretching
   "stretch the fabric";
   - elongate
    
5. Become longer by being stretched and pulled
   "The fabric stretches"
    
6. Extend one's body or limbs
   "Let's stretch for a minute — we've been sitting here for over 3 hours";
   - stretch out
    
7. Pull in opposite directions
   "During the Inquisition, the torturers would stretch their victims on a rack"
    
8. Extend the scope or meaning of; often unduly
   "Stretch the limits"; "stretch my patience"; "stretch the imagination"
    
9. Lie down comfortably
   "To enjoy the picnic, we stretched out on the grass";
   - stretch out
    
10. Corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones
    "The dishonest merchant stretched the spices with cheaper materials";
    - load, adulterate, dilute, debase
     
11. Increase in quantity or bulk by adding a cheaper substance
    "stretch the soup by adding some more cream";
    - extend

1. A large and unbroken expanse or distance
   "a stretch of highway"; "a stretch of clear water"
    
2. An unbroken period of time during which you do something
   "there were stretches of boredom"; "he did a stretch in the federal penitentiary";
   - stint
    
3. Extension to or beyond the ordinary limit
   "beyond any stretch of his understanding"; "running at full stretch"; "by no stretch of the imagination"
    
4. Exercise designed to extend the limbs and muscles to their full extent
   "She always begins her workout with a thorough stretch routine";
   - stretching
    
5. The capacity for being stretched
   "The stretch of the fabric made it comfortable for exercise";
   - stretchiness, stretchability
    
6. (racing) a straightaway section of a racetrack
   "The car accelerated on the final stretch"
    
7. The act of physically reaching or thrusting out
   "The child's stretch for the cookie jar was thwarted by his mother";
   - reach, reaching

1. Easily stretched
   "stretch hosiery"
    
2. Having an elongated seating area
   "a stretch limousine"

Derived forms: stretched, stretching, stretches

See also: elastic, long

Type of: be, broaden, change form, change shape, continuance, corrupt, deform, draw, duration, elasticity, exercise, exercising, expanse, extend, extension, grow, increase, lengthen, lie, lie down, motility, motion, move, movement, physical exercise, physical exertion, pull, snap, spoil, straight, straightaway, strain, tense, tense up, widen, workout

Antonym: contract

Part of: racecourse, racetrack, raceway, track

Encyclopedia: Stretch, Peter