1
as in expanses
a wide space or area
a narrow stretch of beach below the cliffs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
4
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in tries
to subject (a personal quality or faculty) to often excessive stress
your whining is stretching my patience to the limit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stretches
Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 18 May 2026
And in between, long stretches of normalcy.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
The New York Knicks are coming off one of the most dominant stretches in NBA postseason history.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 18 May 2026
Heading into one of the busiest stretches for the industry, overall ticket sales are 16% ahead of last year, according to Comscore.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 17 May 2026
That was bad news for the Angels (16-31), who have had plenty of rough stretches over their decade of losing baseball, but this one has been particularly jarring because injuries have not been a significant factor.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 17 May 2026
The district includes Sacramento’s downtown and midtown core and stretches from North Natomas to Tahoe Park.
—Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 16 May 2026
Under Thibodeau, Robinson and Towns played 165 total playoff minutes together and were a net positive in those stretches.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026
That said, Boeing’s current order backlog stretches to thousands of planes.
—Steve Kopack, NBC news, 15 May 2026
Literary Hub, 19 May 2026
Waterton Lake stretches blue in both directions, with America’s purple mountains rising to the south.
—Shilo Urban, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2026
The district stretches from southern Portland across the Cascade Range to Bend.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
Cannes Lions, of course, is all about selling — of ads and of brands, in a carnival atmosphere that stretches from the beaches to the villas.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
The ceilings feature custom color combinations and eight shooting stars, including one that stretches the entire length of the cabin—a first for Rolls-Royce.
—Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
The annual celebration stretches along Woodward Avenue through Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak, Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township and Pontiac.
—Rachelle Graham, CBS News, 18 May 2026
Even a Massie win, as one strategist told Salon, wouldn’t necessarily justify clean conclusions about the President given the idiosyncrasies of Massie’s district, which stretches from the Cincinnati suburbs to the West Virginia border.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Bell’s arrival follows one of the most turbulent leadership stretches at UF in recent memory.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Noun
Unlike Downtown and the Denver Tech Center, Cherry Creek isn’t worrying about what to do with nearly empty office buildings or how to fill large stretches of vacant storefronts.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 18 May 2026
And in between, long stretches of normalcy.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
The New York Knicks are coming off one of the most dominant stretches in NBA postseason history.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 18 May 2026
Heading into one of the busiest stretches for the industry, overall ticket sales are 16% ahead of last year, according to Comscore.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 17 May 2026
That was bad news for the Angels (16-31), who have had plenty of rough stretches over their decade of losing baseball, but this one has been particularly jarring because injuries have not been a significant factor.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 17 May 2026
The district includes Sacramento’s downtown and midtown core and stretches from North Natomas to Tahoe Park.
—Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 16 May 2026
Under Thibodeau, Robinson and Towns played 165 total playoff minutes together and were a net positive in those stretches.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026
That said, Boeing’s current order backlog stretches to thousands of planes.
—Steve Kopack, NBC news, 15 May 2026
Verb
This is where the tension stretches tightest.
—Literary Hub, 19 May 2026
Waterton Lake stretches blue in both directions, with America’s purple mountains rising to the south.
—Shilo Urban, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2026
The district stretches from southern Portland across the Cascade Range to Bend.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
Cannes Lions, of course, is all about selling — of ads and of brands, in a carnival atmosphere that stretches from the beaches to the villas.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
The ceilings feature custom color combinations and eight shooting stars, including one that stretches the entire length of the cabin—a first for Rolls-Royce.
—Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
The annual celebration stretches along Woodward Avenue through Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak, Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township and Pontiac.
—Rachelle Graham, CBS News, 18 May 2026
Even a Massie win, as one strategist told Salon, wouldn’t necessarily justify clean conclusions about the President given the idiosyncrasies of Massie’s district, which stretches from the Cincinnati suburbs to the West Virginia border.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Bell’s arrival follows one of the most turbulent leadership stretches at UF in recent memory.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stretches
Noun
-
By traversing sonic ground across its 10 tracks that transports listeners from the open expanses of Montana to the Mississippi Hill Country, Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen effectively weave a tapestry that knits together a throughline between foundational Americana genres.—
Chris Barilla,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
Encounters with whales, dolphins and penguins awaited; landscapes of icy expanses, towering cliffs and rolling green hills beckoned.—
Hira Humayun,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
UCHealth’s decision to postpone surgeries whiles staff addressed the sterilization problem stands out from other hospitals that have found themselves in similar situations.—
Jessica Seaman,
Denver Post,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Companies can reduce that risk by giving managers clearer guidance on pay ranges, internal equity and escalation processes.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
The ethics rules do not require disclosure of specific amounts, but ranges of securities purchased.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Most patients were able to walk faster by 16 weeks post-treatment, and eight no longer needed their assistive devices for short distances.—
Amber Dance,
ArsTechnica,
17 May 2026
-
The car is outfitted with 29 cameras, six radars, five microphones, and five lidar sensors, which continuously pulse to measure distances, objects, and people as far as three football fields away.—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Dehydration exaggerates creases and makes skin look less supple.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Dehydration exaggerates creases and gives skin a texture that emphasizes lines.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Creating the body of work that pulls customers in.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
Unlike other fans that blow existing air around a room, an exhaust fan pulls existing air out of the area.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Customers agree that the curved brush lengthens and volumizes their lashes, while the formula is smudge-, flake-, clump-, and sweat-proof.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The slim toe lengthens the leg, while the open heel keeps the outfit from looking heavy.—
Alex Sales,
Glamour,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Slot is a good communicator who tries to properly answer every question, slipping in the occasional attempt at humour.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Din tries to simply hand the Darksaber to Bo-Katan, but this isn't an option.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stretches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stretches. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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