stretch

(strĕch)

v., stretched, stretch·ing, stretch·es.

v.tr.

1. To lengthen, widen, or distend: stretched the sweater out of shape.
2. To cause to extend from one place to another or across a given space: stretched the banner between two poles.
3. To make taut; tighten: stretched the tarpaulin until it ripped.
4. To reach or put forth; extend: stretched out his hand.
5. 1. To extend (oneself or one's limbs, for example) to full length: stretched her calves before running.
   2. To extend (oneself) when lying down: she stretched herself out on the couch.
   3. To put to torture on the rack.
6. To wrench or strain (a muscle, for example).
7. 1. To extend or enlarge beyond the usual or proper limits: stretch the meaning of a word.
   2. To subject to undue strain: to stretch one's patience.
8. 1. To expand in order to fulfill a larger function: stretch a budget; stretch a paycheck.
   2. To increase the quantity of by admixture or dilution: stretch a meal by thinning the stew.
9. To prolong: stretch out an argument.
10. Informal. To fell by a blow: stretched his opponent in the first round.

v.intr.

1. To become lengthened, widened, or distended.
2. To extend or reach over a distance or area or in a given direction: "On both sides of us stretched the wet plain" (Ernest Hemingway).
3. To lie down at full length: stretched out on the bed.
4. To extend one's muscles or limbs, as after prolonged sitting or on awakening.
5. To extend over a given period of time: "This story stretches over a whole generation" (William Golding).

n.

1. The act of stretching or the state of being stretched.
2. The extent or scope to which something can be stretched; elasticity.
3. A continuous or unbroken length, area, or expanse: an empty stretch of highway.
4. A straight section of a racecourse or track, especially the section leading to the finish line.
5. 1. A continuous period of time.
   2. Slang. A term of imprisonment: served a two-year stretch.
   3. Informal. The last stage of an event, period, or process.
6. Baseball. A movement in which a pitcher, standing with the glove side facing home plate, raises both hands to the height of the head and then lowers them to the chest or waist for a short pause before pitching the ball. It is used as an alternative to a wind-up, especially when runners are on base.

adj.

1. Made of an elastic material that stretches easily: stretch pants.
2. Of, relating to, or being a vehicle, such as a limousine or passenger jet, having an extended seating area that provides extra space for more passengers, leg room, or amenities.

idiom:

stretch (one's) legs

1. To go for a walk, especially after a lengthy period of sitting.

[Middle English strecchen, from Old English streccan.]

stretchability stretch'a·bil'i·ty n.
stretchable stretch'a·ble adj.

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The code name for IBM's first "supercomputer," the 7030, which was started in 1955 and completed in 1961. The first of eight units was delivered to the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and was in use for 10 years. STRETCH was IBM's first attempt at building transistorized computers and was designed to "stretch" the speed of its current vacuum tube models by a factor of 100.

The machine was very sophisticated for its time, providing simultaneous execution of business instructions with floating point arithmetic. It was estimated that IBM lost 40 million dollars in developing STRETCH, but that the knowledge gained led to huge profits with its subsequent computers.

The STRETCH

The STRETCH was the first of IBM's transistorized computers. Its style of cabinetry and console were used in many subsequent computers by the company. (Image courtesy of International Business Machines Corporation. Unauthorized use not permitted.)

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verb

1. To make or become longer. draw out, elongate, extend, lengthen, prolong, prolongate, protract, spin (out). Mathematics produce. See increase/decrease, long/short.
2. To move or arrange so as to cover a larger area: expand, extend, fan¹ (out), open (out or up), outstretch, spread, unfold, unroll. See move/halt.
3. To proceed on a certain course or for a certain distance: carry, extend, go, lead, reach, run. See reach/unreachable.
4. To extend, especially an appendage. outstretch, reach. See reach/unreachable.
5. To be or place oneself in a prostrate or recumbent position. lie¹ (down), recline, repose. See horizontal/vertical/change of position.
6. To take repose, as by sleeping or lying quietly. lie¹ (down), recline, repose, rest¹. See continue/stop/pause.

noun

1. The measure of how far or long something goes in space, time, or degree: extent, length, reach, span. See big/small/amount.
2. An extent, measured or unmeasured, of linear space: distance, length, space. Informal piece, way. See big/small/amount.
3. A wide and open area, as of land, sky, or water: distance, expanse, expansion, extent, reach, space, spread, sweep. See place.
4. A specific length of time characterized by the occurrence of certain conditions or events: period, season, span, term. See time.
5. A limited or specific period of time during which something happens, lasts, or extends: duration, span, term, time. See time.
6. A term of service, as in the military or in prison: hitch, time, tour. See time.
7. A limited, often assigned period of activity, duty, or opportunity: bout, go, hitch, inning (often used in plural), shift, spell³, stint, time, tour, trick, turn, watch. See time.

adjective

Capable of being extended or expanded: expansible, expansile, extendible, extensible, extensile, protractile, stretchable. See increase/decrease.

Idioms beginning with stretch:
stretch a point
stretch one's legs

See also at a stretch; by any stretch.

v

Definition: extend, elongate
Antonyms: compress, concentrate, shorten

An area of patent glazing.

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IN BRIEF: To spread out one's body as far as possible. Also: To reach or extend.

Before dance class all the dancers would stretch.

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sign description: Both S-hands are held up by the chest and are pulled apart in a small repeated motion.

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i. To increase the capacity of a transport aircraft by adding plugs to the fuselage (e.g., the stretched version of aircraft. Such stretched versions are normally suffixed with the letter S).



ii. To apply tensile strength to a body exceeding its elastic limits.

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noun
noun

1: A period of imprisonment. (1821 —) .
P. Branch He's in Joe Gurr again. He got nicked in Cardiff on a snout gaff....It's only a two stretch and a lot of the Boys had their collars felt (1951). verb trans.

2: To kill. (1902 —) .
M. Gilbert Once...Annie had a husband. She got tired of him, so she 'stretched him with a bottle' (1953).

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For a list of words related to stretch, see:

• Types of Automobiles - stretch: extra-long limousine with bar, TV, and other amenities
• Baseball - stretch: (n) as an alternative to a windup, a set position from which a pitcher pitches, the hands held no higher than the chest, usu. done as a means of minimizing a baserunner’s chance to get a good lead; (vb) a batter taking an extra base after hitting a ball (e.g. “to stretch a single into a double”)
• Horse and Dog Racing
• Directions - stretch: extend over distance in particular direction
• Modes and Manners of Expression - stretch: exaggerate or extend beyond the truth
• Friendly or Familiar Address
• Falsehood, Pretense, and Exaggeration - stretch: (vb) amplify or exaggerate beyond the norm for one’s own advantage
• Periods of Time - stretch: duration of time; Slang. term of incarceration
• Dimensions and Directions - stretch: considerable extent, length, or area

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See words rhyming with "stretch."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Stretch.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - strække, spænde, udvide, stille krav til, række
v. intr. - strække sig
n. - stræk, udspænding, udstrækning, stykke, strækning, opløb, tidsrum
adj. - som kan strækkes

idioms:

• at a stretch    i træk, i streg, uden afbrydelse
• by no stretch of the imagination    uden at anstrenge fantasien
• not by any stretch of the imagination    kan ikke med bedste vilje kaldes for
• stretch a point    gøre en undtagelse, fravige reglerne, bøje reglerne
• stretch for    strække sig efter, række efter
• stretch marks    strækmærker
• stretch one's legs    strække benene
• stretch one's wings    strække vingerne, blive uafhængig
• stretch out    strække ud
• stretch over    strække over
• stretch the rules    slække på reglerne
• stretch to    gå op til, gå med på, være med på

Nederlands (Dutch)
(zich) (uit)rekken, spannen, overdrijven, uitstrekken, reiken, rek, uitrekking, stuk (afstand), reikwijdte

Français (French)
v. tr. - s'étirer, (fig) se dégourdir/se dérouiller (les jambes), tendre, étirer, tirer sur, élargir, déformer (une vérité), contourner (un règlement), abuser de, utiliser (qch) au maximum, pousser (qch) au maximum de ses possibilités, économiser (un budget), faire durer (des provisions)
v. intr. - s'étirer, s'étaler, s'étendre, s'élargir, se déformer, se permettre
n. - extension, tronçon, partie, étendue, période, peine (de prison)
adj. - extensible, à carrosserie allongée

idioms:

• at a stretch    sans répit
• by no stretch of the imagination    il (me) serait absolument impossible de croire
• not by any stretch of the imagination    même avec un gros effort d'imagination
• stretch a point    faire une exception, aller trop loin
• stretch for    allonger/tendre (le bras) pour saisir qch
• stretch marks    vergeture
• stretch one's legs    se dégourdir/se dérouiller les jambes
• stretch one's wings    (lit, fig) déployer ses ailes
• stretch out    s'étendre, s'allonger, s'étaler, tendre, étendre, étaler, faire durer
• stretch over    couvrir, s'étaler sur
• stretch the rules    abuser, outrepasser, contourner les règles
• stretch to    faire durer

Deutsch (German)
v. - (sich) dehnen, (sich) strecken, spannen, ausbreiten, es nicht allzu genau nehmen
n. - Zeitspanne, Abschnitt, Gerade, Dehnung, Strecken
adj. - dehnbar

idioms:

• at a stretch    ohne Unterbrechung, in der Not
• by no stretch of the imagination    auch mit viel Phantasie nicht
• not by any stretch of the imagination    auch wenn es schwer zu glauben ist
• stretch a point    über etwas hinwegsehen
• stretch for    für etw. reichen
• stretch marks    Schwangerschaftsstreifen
• stretch one's legs    sich die Beine vertreten
• stretch one's wings    sich auf eigene Füße stellen
• stretch out    [aus]strecken, ausbreiten, auseinanderziehen, sich ausdehnen, reichen
• stretch over    etw. dauert, etw. dehnt sich [irgendwo/irgendwohin] aus
• stretch the rules    ein Auge zudrücken
• stretch to    für etwas reichen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - τεντώνω/-ομαι, εκτείνω/-ομαι, απλώνω/-ομαι, επιμηκύνω/-ομαι, διαρκώ, (καθομ.) πεθαίνω στην αγχόνη
n. - έκταση, ανάπτυγμα, διάστημα, περίοδος, μόχθος, προσπάθεια, περίοδος φυλάκισης, τέντωμα (του κορμού κ.λπ.), ξεμούδιασμα
adj. - στρετς, που τεντώνει

idioms:

• at a stretch    συνεχώς, μονοκοπανιά(ς), με κάποια παραπάνω προσπάθεια
• by no stretch of the imagination    που είναι αδύνατο και να το φανταστείς
• not by any stretch of the imagination    που είναι αδύνατο και να το φανταστείς
• stretch a point    (καθομ.) υπερβάλλω, το παρατραβάω
• stretch for    εκτείνομαι, τεντώνομαι να πιάσω
• stretch marks    ραγάδες από πάχος ή εγκυμοσύνη
• stretch one's legs    περπατώ για να ξεμουδιάσω
• stretch one's wings    (καθομ.) αναπτύσσω όλες μου τις δυνάμεις, ικανότητες κ.λπ.
• stretch out    εκτείνω, τεντώνω (το χέρι κ.λπ.), παρατείνω, κάνω να κρατήσει/διαρκέσει περισσότερο
• stretch over    εκτείνομαι σε διάστημα
• stretch the rules    παρακάμπτω τους κανόνες, κάνω μια εξαίρεση
• stretch to    εκτείνομαι μέχρι

Italiano (Italian)
allargarsi, stiracchiarsi, distendere, estendersi, tendere, periodo, elasticità

idioms:

• at a stretch    ininterrottamente, senza tregua
• at full stretch    in piena attività
• by any/no stretch of the imagination    nonostante qualsiasi sforzo dell'immaginazione
• home stretch    dirittura d'arrivo
• stretch a point    fare un'eccezione
• stretch marks    smagliature
• stretch one's legs    fare due passi
• stretch to    arrivare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - esticar
n. - extensão (f)

idioms:

• at a stretch    de uma vez
• at full stretch    trabalhar a todo vapor (fig.)
• by any/no stretch of the imagination    descrição de coisas difíceis de acreditar
• home stretch    parte final
• stretch a point    exceder-se numa reivindicação
• stretch marks    estrias (f pl)
• stretch one's legs    andar
• stretch to    estender-se até

Русский (Russian)
вытягивание, растяжение, эластичность, напряжение, пространство, промежуток времени, выход за пределы, направление, разминка, растягивающийся, растягивать, удлиняться, натягивать, тянуть, простираться, преувеличивать, свалить (ударом)

idioms:

• at a stretch    подряд, без перерыва
• at full stretch    полностью, полным ходом
• by any/no stretch of the imagination    абсолютно исключено, ни при каких обстоятельствах
• home stretch    последний этап соревнований, последний этап (чего-л.)
• stretch a point    выйти за пределы дозволенного, не очень строго соблюдать правила
• stretch marks    атрофические полосы кожи, рубцы беременности
• stretch one's legs    размять ноги, прогуляться
• stretch to    (с трудом) хватать средств (на что-л.)

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - alargar, estirar, tensar, extender
v. intr. - estirarse, alargarse, desperezarse
n. - alargamiento, trozo, lapso, elasticidad, extensión
adj. - alargado, elástico

idioms:

• at a stretch    sin parar, de un tirón, seguido
• by no stretch of the imagination    de ningún modo, bajo ningún concepto
• not by any stretch of the imagination    de ningún modo, bajo ningún concepto
• stretch a point    hacer una excepción
• stretch for    extenderse, estirarse para tomar algo
• stretch marks    estrías
• stretch one's legs    estirar las piernas
• stretch one's wings    desplegar las alas, alzar el vuelo
• stretch out    extenderse, estirarse
• stretch over    estirar de un punto a otro
• stretch the rules    apartarse un poco de las reglas
• stretch to    extenderse hasta

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - spänna, sträcka, sträcka på, tänja, anstränga, räcka till
n. - spänning, sträckning, tänjning, elasticitet, töjbarhet, överskridande
adj. - sträck-

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
伸直, 伸长, 伸出, 拉直, 伸缩, 延伸, 连绵, 延续, 舒展肢体, 伸懒腰, 伸展, 张开, 可伸缩的, 弹性的

idioms:

• at a stretch    一口气地
• by no stretch of the imagination    无论这样异想天开也不...
• not by any stretch of the imagination    尽管这样想像...
• stretch a point    破例让步, 作牵强附会的说明
• stretch for    拉伸成形法, 拉伸到...
• stretch marks    萎缩纹, 白纹, 妊娠纹
• stretch one's legs    把脚伸直...
• stretch one's wings    伸展翅膀
• stretch out    延长, 伸展
• stretch over    拉上来
• stretch the rules    放松规定, 通融
• stretch to    拉到...

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 伸直, 伸長, 伸出, 拉直
v. intr. - 伸縮, 延伸, 連綿, 延續, 舒展肢體, 伸懶腰
n. - 伸展, 連綿, 張開
adj. - 可伸縮的, 彈性的

idioms:

• at a stretch    一口氣地
• by no stretch of the imagination    無論這樣異想天開也不...
• not by any stretch of the imagination    儘管這樣想像...
• stretch a point    破例讓步, 作牽強附會的說明
• stretch for    拉伸成形法, 拉伸到...
• stretch marks    萎縮紋, 白紋, 妊娠紋
• stretch one's legs    把腳伸直...
• stretch one's wings    伸展翅膀
• stretch out    延長, 伸展
• stretch over    拉上來
• stretch the rules    放鬆規定, 通融
• stretch to    拉到...

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 한껏 뻗다, ~을 잡아당겨 늘리다, (능력 등을)무리하게 사용하다
v. intr. - 길게 눕다, 펼쳐있다, 늘어나다
n. - 확장, 범위, 최후의 단계
adj. - 신축성 있는, 신축 가공한

idioms:

• at a stretch    단숨에, 한번에
• by no stretch of the imagination    상상력을 마음껏 뻗지않아서
• stretch for    뻗다
• stretch out    노동시간 연장, 노동 강화
• stretch over    ~위로 뻗다
• stretch to    퍼지다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 伸ばす, 広げる, 張る, 差し伸べる, 伸びをする, わたる, 続く, 無理に使う
n. - 伸ばすこと, 伸び, 広がり, 伸縮性, 無理に使うこと, 拡大解釈, 直線コース, 緊張, 濫用

idioms:

• at a stretch    一気に
• by any/no stretch of the imagination    いかに想像をふくらませても
• stretch a point    譲歩する
• stretch marks    妊娠線
• stretch one's imagination    想像をたくましくする
• stretch one's legs    散歩する
• stretch to    足りる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) مد, مدد, بسط, مط, شد, وسع (الاسم) امتداد, اتساع بالمط, فترة مستمرة, مدى, فترة سجن (صفه) (قماش) قابل للتمدد و المط, ممتد, ممطوط‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮מתח, משך, הושיט, הגמיש‬
v. intr. - ‮נמתח, נמשך, הושיט, השתרע, התפשט, התמתח‬
n. - ‮מתיחה, חילוץ עצמות, מתיחות, גמישות, משטח, מישור, קטע-מסלול, רצף, משך-זמן, תקופת מאסר‬
adj. - ‮גמיש, מתיח, פרוש‬

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