stretch

 
Pronunciation: /strɛtʃ/

verb

[no object]
  • 1(of something soft or elastic) be made or be capable of being made longer or wider without tearing or breaking: my jumper stretched in the wash rubber will stretch easily when pulled
  • [with object] cause (something) to become longer or wider by pulling it: stretch the elastic small squares of canvas were stretched over the bamboo frame
  • 2straighten or extend one’s body or a part of one’s body to its full length, typically so as to tighten one’s muscles or in order to reach something: the cat yawned and stretched [with object]: I stretched out a weary arm to turn on my radio stretching my cramped legs we lay stretched out on the sand
  • 3 [no object, with adverbial] extend or spread over an area or period of time: the beach stretches for over four miles the long hours of night stretched ahead of her
  • last or cause to last longer than expected: [no object]: her nap had stretched to two hours [with object]: stretch your weekend into a mini summer vacation
  • [no object] (of finances or resources) be sufficient or adequate for a certain purpose: my budget won’t stretch to a weekend at a health farm
  • 4 [with object] make great demands on the capacity or resources of: the cost of the court case has stretched their finances to the limit
  • cause (someone) to make maximum use of their talents or abilities: it’s too easy—it doesn’t stretch me
  • informal adapt or extend the scope of (something) in a way that exceeds a reasonable or acceptable limit: to describe her as sweet would be stretching it a bit

noun

  • 1an act of stretching one’s limbs or body: I got up and had a stretch
  • [mass noun] the fact or condition of a muscle being stretched: she could feel the stretch and pull of the muscles in her legs
  • [mass noun, usually as modifier] the capacity of a material or garment to stretch or be stretched; elasticity: stretch jeans
  • informal a difficult or demanding task: it was a stretch for me to come up with the rent
  • 2a continuous area or expanse of land or water: a treacherous stretch of road
  • a continuous period of time: long stretches of time
  • informal a period of time spent in prison: a four-year stretch for tax fraud
  • chiefly North American a straight part of a racetrack, typically the home straight: he made a promising start, but faded down the stretch
  • Sailing the distance covered on one tack.
  • 3 informal a stretch limo: a chauffeur-driven stretch

Phrases

at full stretch

with a part of one’s body fully extended: at the wheel was a short figure, arms at full stretch
using the maximum amount of one’s resources or energy: increased export business kept our production plants at full stretch

at a stretch

  • 1in one continuous period: I often had to work for over twenty hours at a stretch
  • 2only with difficulty or in extreme circumstances: it is aimed at one age group, adults, or, at a stretch, business studies students

by no (or not by any) stretch of the imagination

used to emphasize that something is definitely not the case: by no stretch of the imagination could Carl ever be called good-looking

stretch one's legs

go for a short walk after sitting in one place for some time: there is an hour’s stop in Sudbury for everyone to stretch their legs

stretch a point

allow or do something not usually acceptable: since your daughter is one of my regular patients, I’m stretching a point

stretch one's wings

see wing.

Derivatives

stretchability

Pronunciation: /-əˈbɪlɪti/
noun

stretchable

adjective

Origin:

Old English streccan, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch strekken and German strecken. The noun dates from the late 16th century