1
as in extension
the act of making longer
excessive stretching can cause the fabric to tear or lose its elasticity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in exaggeration
the representation of something in terms that go beyond the facts
your constant stretching of the truth is going to get you in trouble someday
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in exaggerating
to add to the interest of by including made-up details
it was stretching the truth to say she'd been in the movies: she was once an extra whose scene was cut in the final version
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2
as in pulling
to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure
I stretched a back muscle, and the pain is killing me
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3
as in lengthening
to make longer
the time it would take to fix the car got stretched from three hours to two days when the part we needed had to be ordered
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4
as in trying
to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress
your whining is stretching my patience to the limit
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5
as in tightening
to draw tight
if the canvas isn't properly stretched over the frame, there will be sagging over time
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stretching
Noun
-
Memoir Nation: Weekly Inspiration for Writers is an extension of the Memoir Nation community hosted by Brooke Warner and Grant Faulkner, two friends and colleagues who bring a community-minded sensibility to the writing journey.—
Memoir Nation
July 14,
Literary Hub,
14 July 2025 -
Nevertheless, the outlook is considerably more positive than a year ago for Boeing, and by extension, for the overall industry.—
Jerrold Lundquist,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
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The hinge-less part may have been an exaggeration, for someone who’s likely as much of a control freak as Halsey.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
9 July 2025
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Pew’s findings confirm one of Trump’s most remarkable accomplishments — one so unlikely that professional Latinos long dismissed his election gains as exaggerations.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Goldy still has one of those markers - excessive pulling - sitting unused in front of him.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes,
3 Jan. 2025
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The Thunder trailed by 16 in the first half before pulling within 52-48 at halftime.—
Austin Knoblauch,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2025
Verb
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What’s key is its lengthening fiberstretch pigments and jumbo brush with teeny-tiny bristles that leave no hair uncoated.—
Lauren Valenti,
Vogue,
20 Mar. 2025
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Rain may provide temporary relief, but allergy seasons are expected to keep lengthening in the future.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Nobody inside the Minnesota Wild locker room was trying to insult anybody’s intelligence by claiming a 1-goal win Monday night over the worst team in the NHL completely cured their recent ills.—
Michael Russo,
The Athletic,
24 Dec. 2024
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New York police on Monday were trying to determine why someone set a woman ablaze board a train in Brooklyn in a fatal attack drawing outrage from city and state leaders who have been laboring to make the trains safer.—
John Bacon,
USA TODAY,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Barkley said the Commanders brought more defenders near the box, tightening their approach against an offense without its dual-threat option.—
Brooks Kubena,
The Athletic,
22 Dec. 2024
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If the Fed acts early and forcefully by tightening rates again, short-term yields may rise, but long-term yields may not do anything or even fall.—
Garth Friesen,
Forbes,
21 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Many of Kidman’s better wigs are blonde or shoulder length, but this unfortunately doesn’t ring true for the HBO movie Hemingway & Gellhorn, which stars Clive Owen as a caricature of Ernest Hemingway and a Golden Globe–nominated Kidman as his wife, the journalist Martha Gellhorn.—
Jihane Bousfiha,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
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Despite this blanket ban on racist caricatures, the hateful Veo 3 videos appear to be spreading unchecked.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 July 2025
Verb
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What matters is that Dan Hurley’s team won, extending its tournament winning streak to 13 games — and, most importantly, keeping alive its dream of a three-peat.—
Brendan Marks,
The Athletic,
22 Mar. 2025
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Next up is the challenge of extending the momentum instead of letting the pendulum swing back wildly again.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Stretching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stretching. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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