stretch
Other forms: stretched; stretching; stretches
To stretch is to extend or lengthen something beyond the normal length. You stretched both your vacation and the truth when you called out of work on Monday saying your flight home from Ibiza was canceled.
Stretch is a word that has many great usages. The sense of extending one’s limbs came about circa 1200. Four hundred years later brought the phrase "stretch your legs," meaning take a walk. Don’t walk too vigorously, though, or you could stretch a muscle. The word can also be used as a noun, meaning an expanse, as in, "Looking toward the horizon, the thirsty man saw an endless stretch of sand."
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extend one's limbs or muscles, or the entire body
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extend one's body or limbs“Let's stretch for a minute--we've been sitting here for over 3 hours”synonyms: stretch outtype of:movemove so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion
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pull in opposite directions
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extend or stretch out to a greater or the full length“stretch out that piece of cloth”synonyms: extend, stretch out, unfoldextendopen or straighten out; unbend
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make long or longer by pulling and stretching
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become longer by being stretched and pulled
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the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
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exercise designed to extend the limbs and muscles to their full extentsynonyms: stretchingtypes:pandiculationyawning and stretching (as when first waking up)type of:exercise, exercising, physical exercise, physical exertion, workoutthe activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
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the capacity for being stretchedsynonyms: stretchability, stretchinesstype of:elasticity, snapthe tendency of a body to return to its original shape after it has been stretched or compressed
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a straightaway section of a racetracktypes:homestretchthe straight stretch of a racetrack leading to the finish linetype of:
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having an elongated seating area“a stretch limousine”synonyms:longprimarily spatial sense; of relatively great or greater than average spatial extension or extension as specified
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easily stretched“stretch hosiery”synonyms:elasticcapable of resuming original shape after stretching or compression; springy
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extend the scope or meaning of; often unduly
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increase in quantity or bulk by adding a cheaper substance
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corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior onessynonyms: adulterate, debase, dilute, loadextendincrease in quantity or bulk by adding a cheaper substancetypes:water downthin by adding water to
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extension to or beyond the ordinary limit“running at full stretch”“by no stretch of the imagination”“beyond any stretch of his understanding”type of:extensionact of expanding in scope; making more widely available
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an unbroken period of time during which you do something“there were stretches of boredom”“he did a stretch in the federal penitentiary”synonyms: stint
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lie down comfortably“To enjoy the picnic, we stretched out on the grass”synonyms: stretch out
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occupy a large, elongated area“The park stretched beneath the train line”synonyms: stretch alongtype of:beoccupy a certain position or area; be somewhere
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a large and unbroken expanse or distance“a stretch of highway”“a stretch of clear water”types:type of:expansea wide and open space or area as of surface or land or sky
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Vocabulary lists containing stretch
Here are links to our lists for the play: Act I, Act II, Act III, Act IV, Act V Here are links to other plays by William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Hamlet, King Lear, Julius Caesar, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream
Vocabulary from "Beowulf" (translated by by Gummere).
You'll need mental agility and fitness to learn these physical education terms. Don't be afraid to stretch your intellectual muscles — a few repetitions of this list will definitely improve the strength of your vocabulary.