Meaning & use
stretch
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To make something longer, wider, or looser by pulling it.
Grammar: Takes an object: stretch the fabric.
Patterns
- stretch something
- stretch something out
She stretched the rubber band until it snapped.
He stretched the leather shoes to make them fit better.
Stretch the dough gently with your fingers.
verbintransitive
To extend your arms, legs, or body, often after waking up or before exercise.
Grammar: No object; often used with 'out' or 'up'.
Patterns
- stretch
- stretch out
- stretch up
I always stretch before I go running.
She stretched and yawned as she got out of bed.
The cat stretched out in the sun.
verbintransitive
To spread over an area or to continue for a distance or period of time.
Grammar: Often followed by 'for', 'to', or 'across'.
Patterns
- stretch for something
- stretch to something
- stretch across something
The desert stretches for miles in every direction.
The meeting stretched into the afternoon.
A bridge stretches across the river.
verbtransitive
To make a supply, amount, or money last longer or be enough for more people.
Grammar: Takes an object: stretch the budget.
Patterns
- stretch something
- stretch something to do something
We need to stretch our food supplies until the end of the month.
She stretched her salary to cover all the bills.
Can you stretch the meat to feed six people?
nouncountable
A continuous period of time.
Grammar: Often used with 'a' or 'long'.
Patterns
- a stretch of time
- a long stretch
He did a ten-year stretch in prison.
We had a quiet stretch of weather last week.
She worked for a stretch of six hours without a break.
nouncountable
A continuous area of land or water.
Grammar: Often followed by 'of'.
Patterns
- a stretch of road
- a stretch of water
This stretch of road is very dangerous.
They own a beautiful stretch of coastline.
We walked along a quiet stretch of the river.
Word forms
| third person singular | stretches |
|---|---|
| past tense | stretched |
| past participle | stretched |
| -ing form | stretching |
| plural | stretches |
Common combinations
- stretch your legs
- After the long drive, we stopped to stretch our legs.
- stretch the truth
- He tends to stretch the truth when telling stories.
- at a stretch
- She can work for eight hours at a stretch.
- stretch out
- He stretched out on the sofa and fell asleep.
- stretch a point
- I'll stretch a point and let you hand in the essay late.
Synonyms and how they differ
- extend
- More formal; often used for making something longer in space or time, not for body movements.
- lengthen
- Focuses on making something longer, especially in physical length or duration.
- expand
- Suggests becoming larger in all directions, not just by pulling.
Opposites
Word family
- stretchy adjective
- able to stretch easily
- stretcher noun
- a device for carrying a sick or injured person
- stretching noun
- the act of extending your body
Commonly confused: stretch or stride?
stretch vs stride
Stride means to walk with long steps, while stretch means to extend something or your body.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
'Stretch my legs' is the correct collocation meaning to move your legs to relieve stiffness. Option C is wrong because 'stretch out my legs' is less common and sounds odd here; option D uses the wrong preposition.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stretch”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.