STRETCHES Synonyms: 207 Similar and Opposite Words

stretches 1 of 2

noun

plural of stretch

as in expanses

a wide space or area a narrow stretch of beach below the cliffs

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Relevance

as in whiles

an indefinite but usually short period of time there was a cardinal at our bird feeder for a short stretch last spring

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as in ranges

the distance or extent between possible extremes the stories were written over a considerable stretch of time

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as in distances

the space or amount of space between two points, lines, surfaces, or objects the longest stretch of the drive without any place to get gas

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stretches

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of stretch

as in exaggerates

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in pulls

to injure by overuse, misuse, or pressure I stretched a back muscle, and the pain is killing me

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as in lengthens

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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as in tries

to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress your whining is stretching my patience to the limit

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as in tightens

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of stretches

Noun

Virginia did a good job controlling SMU for long stretches, but a few big plays negated all that. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 Jones showed stretches of that growth last season, his first full campaign with the Panthers. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026 Caporaso went 4-of-14 against Reeves and 7-foot, 255-pound Paul Mbiya for stretches. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2026 Starting with their quarterback, Arch Manning once again looked less than adequate for large stretches of the game. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026 Yet, when the rest of the team’s offense sputtered for long stretches, Ohtani’s inability to rescue his team at the plate was even more pronounced. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026 Cline said the recent moisture should help landscapes heading into winter, but added homeowners should continue monitoring trees and shrubs during dry stretches and hand water when needed. — Kelly Werthmann, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 Its slate of more than 60 original properties in development stretches from film and animation to games, merchandise and immersive experiences. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026 To try to ease tensions during loud stretches of construction, Zuckerberg’s staff handed out gifts like noise-canceling headphones. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026

Verb

Not far from my home on the western shore of Lake Champlain lies the ore bed that in 1875 produced 10 percent of America’s iron ore; the #21 pit, once storied, stretches two hundred feet wide and three hundred feet deep. — Bill McKibben, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026 Its border with Yemen stretches more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) through rugged desert areas. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 Bass goes to Ramanland Bass went hard after Raman at this week’s NBC4/Telemundo 52 debate, accusing her of neglecting constituents in her district, which stretches from Silver Lake to the San Fernando Valley. — Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 Forrest said even a close loss for Democrats in Cabarrus could be a sign the party is continuing to make inroads in the county as Charlotte’s growth stretches into more suburban and rural areas. — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2026 The district, which encompasses downtown Sacramento and Elk Grove, stretches from Placerville to the north and to Lodi in the south. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026 My field truck is working hard to maintain a decent speed as the road stretches up and around large hills. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 The company's relationship with OpenAI stretches back further, and as of September 2025 was worth at least $22 billion including a 5-year agreement to provide datacenters and technology. — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026 Los Angeles County issued evacuation warnings and orders for a wide area that stretches to Leo Carrillo State Park, Pepperdine University and the coast. — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stretches

Noun

Entrepreneur Emma Grede attributed her ability to keep brands relevant to her complete assuredness in her intuition, which was honed in the expanses of her triumphs—and failures.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
Released three years after the similarly freewheeling Nekkuja, the album bubbles over with interdimensional ambition and zigzagging ideas, anchored by her ability to command bewildering expanses of melody and form.

— Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of expanses

Noun

What emerges is a picture of migratory birds that is both more complicated and more remarkable than the simple arrows pointing between breeding and wintering ranges on a map.

— Amy L. Scarpignato, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026
Her shoe wardrobe ranges from classic block-heel ballerinas to whimsical dainty sandals adorned with lemons.

— Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of ranges

Noun

The intestinal villi provide a large surface area while allowing nutrients to move across relatively short distances.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
Manual order processing or sending orders to the wrong location means longer shipping distances, higher labor costs and slower deliveries.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of distances

Verb

Armour points to two recent plays, one involving Chelsea Gray and another involving Kiah Stokes, as proof that Clark exaggerates contact and creates false narratives about opposing players.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2026
The best place to start is a sporting culture that exaggerates accomplishments and rewards capitalistic success before the sporting variety.

— Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of exaggerates

Verb

The formula pairs glycerin and flexible polymers to coat and define every lash without weighing them down, while the dual-length brush prevents clumps and lengthens from root to tip.

— Madison San Miguel, Allure, 15 Oct. 2026
Aerohart also lengthens the Aviator's Ember to give users more leverage in plunging the piston.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of lengthens

Verb

But none of that martial-arts mayhem is as compelling as the battle being waged behind the scenes as director Kitao Sakurai tries to insert his irreverent, ironic approach into a property resistant to that kind of impish goofing around.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
In the Strait of Hormuz, at least nine tankers and cargo ships have come under attack since Sunday as Iran tries to choke off oil exports through the waterway.

— Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026