1an act of stretching one’s limbs or body:I got up and had a stretch
[mass noun] the fact or condition of a muscle being stretched:she could feel the stretch and pull of the muscles in her legs
[mass noun, usually as modifier] the capacity of a material or garment to stretch or be stretched; elasticity:stretch jeans
informal a difficult or demanding task:it was a stretch for me to come up with the rent
2a continuous area or expanse of land or water:a treacherous stretch of road
a continuous period of time:long stretches of time
informal a period of time spent in prison:a four-year stretch for tax fraud
chiefly North American a straight part of a racetrack, typically the home straight:he made a promising start, but faded down the stretch
Sailing the distance covered on one tack.
3 informal a stretch limo:a chauffeur-driven stretch
ზმნა
Universal
1(of something soft or elastic) be made or be capable of being made longer or wider without tearing or breaking:my jumper stretched in the washrubber will stretch easily when pulled
[with object] cause (something) to become longer or wider by pulling it:stretch the elasticsmall squares of canvas were stretched over the bamboo frame
2straighten or extend one’s body or a part of one’s body to its full length, typically so as to tighten one’s muscles or in order to reach something:the cat yawned and stretched [with object]:I stretched out a weary arm to turn on my radiostretching my cramped legswe lay stretched out on the sand
3 [no object, with adverbial] extend or spread over an area or period of time:the beach stretches for over four milesthe long hours of night stretched ahead of her
last or cause to last longer than expected: [no object]:her nap had stretched to two hours [with object]:stretch your weekend into a mini summer vacation
[no object] (of finances or resources) be sufficient or adequate for a certain purpose:my budget won’t stretch to a weekend at a health farm
4 [with object] make great demands on the capacity or resources of:the cost of the court case has stretched their finances to the limit
cause (someone) to make maximum use of their talents or abilities:it’s too easy—it doesn’t stretch me
informal adapt or extend the scope of (something) in a way that exceeds a reasonable or acceptable limit:to describe her as sweet would be stretching it a bit
at full stretch
with a part of one’s body fully extended:at the wheel was a short figure, arms at full stretch
using the maximum amount of one’s resources or energy:increased export business kept our production plants at full stretch
at a stretch
1in one continuous period:I often had to work for over twenty hours at a stretch
2only with difficulty or in extreme circumstances:it is aimed at one age group, adults, or, at a stretch, business studies students
by no (or not by any) stretch of the imagination
used to emphasize that something is definitely not the case:by no stretch of the imagination could Carl ever be called good-looking
stretch one's legs
go for a short walk after sitting in one place for some time:there is an hour’s stop in Sudbury for everyone to stretch their legs
stretch a point
allow or do something not usually acceptable:since your daughter is one of my regular patients, I’m stretching a point
