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.
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