Basic+ Word of the Day: stretch

stretch (verb, noun) /past tense: stretched/ LISTEN

It's important to stretch before exercising.

Stretch means ‘to straighten or extend the body.’

  • The runner stretches before his daily run.
  • When the cat woke up, she stretched her body and meowed.

Stretch can mean ‘to extend from one place to another.’

  • The forest stretches from the mountains to the ocean.
  • The line of customers for the new phone stretched around the block.

Stretch also means ‘to extend too much.’

  • After Frieda wore her jeans three days in a row, they were stretched in the knees.

Stretch can also mean ‘an extended amount of time.’

  • Felix did a ten-year stretch in prison for armed robbery.
  • Ted was in the navy for a stretch of four years.

Common uses

stretch the truth: say something that exaggerates the facts. Example: “The fisherman stretched the truth when he described the size of the trout that he caught.”

In pop culture

A stretch limousine is a very long car used for driving people around. The movie Stretch is about a stretch limo driver who needs a lot of money–fast. Watch the trailer:

There are other meanings of stretch.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Word of the Day is released Monday through Friday.

Previous Post Next Post

You Might Also Like