Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

stretch - thesaurus entry

Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

verb
  1. 1
    to pull something to make it longer or wider

    *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of stretch*

    1. a.
      to become longer or wider by pulling

      *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of stretch*

  2. 2
    to pull something so that it becomes smooth, straight, and tight

    *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of stretch*

  3. 3
    to make your arms, legs, or body as straight as possible so that your muscles become long and tight

    *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of stretch*

    1. a.

      stretch

      or

      stretch out

      to move an arm or a leg away from your body in order to reach something

      *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of stretch*

  4. 4
    to continue for a particular distance

    *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of stretch*

    1. a.
      to continue for a particular period of time

      *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of stretch*

  5. 6
    to use all the money, supplies, or time available

    *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of stretch*

phrases

phrasal verbs

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

dray

a type of cart pulled by a horse and used in the past for carrying barrels of beer

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog