Stretch , n.
1. Act of stretching, or state of being stretched; reach; effort; struggle; strain; as, a
stretch of the limbs; a stretch of the imagination.
By stretch of arms the distant shore to gain.
Dryden. Those put a lawful
authority upon the stretch, to the abuse
of yower, under the color of
prerogative.
L'Estrange.
2. A continuous line or surface; a
continuous space of time; as, grassy stretches of land.
A great stretch of cultivated country.
W. Black. But
all of them
left me a week at a stretch.
E.
Eggleston. 3. The extent to which anything may be stretched.
Quotations, in their utmost stretch, can signify no more than that Luther lay under severe agonies of mind.
Atterbury. This is the utmost
stretch that nature can.
Granville. 4. (Naut.) The reach or
extent of a
vessel's progress on one tack; a tack or board.
5. Course; direction; as, the stretch of seams of coal.
To be on the stretch, to be obliged to
use one's utmost powers. -- Home
stretch. See under Home, a.
Stretch , v. i. 1. To
be extended; to be drawn out
in length or in breadth, or both; to spread; to reach; as, the
iron road stretches across the continent; the lake stretches over fifty square miles.
As far as stretcheth any ground.
Gower.
2. To extend or spread one's
self, or one's limbs; as,
the lazy man yawns and
stretches.
3. To be extended, or
to bear extension, without
breaking, as elastic or ductile substances.
The inner membrane . . . because it would stretch and yield, remained umbroken.
Boyle. 4. To strain the truth; to exaggerate; as, a man apt to stretch in his report
of facts. [Obs. or
Colloq.]
5. (Naut.) To sail by the wind under press of canvas; as,
the ship stretched to the eastward. Ham. Nav.
Encyc.
Stretch out, an order to rowers to extend themselves forward in dipping the oar.
Stretch (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stretched (?);
p. pr. & vb. n.
Stretching.]
[OE. strecchen,
AS. streccan; akin to D. strekken, G. strecken, OHG. strecchen, Sw.
sträcka, Dan. strække; cf. AS. stræck, strec, strong, violent, G. strack straight; of uncertain origin, perhaps akin to E. strong. Cf. Straight.] 1. To reach out;
to extend; to put forth.
And stretch forth his neck long and
small.
Chaucer.
I in conquest stretched mine
arm.
Shak.
2. To draw out to the full length; to cause to extend in a straight line; as, to stretch a cord or rope.
3. To cause to extend in breadth; to spread; to expand; as, to
stretch cloth; to stretch the wings.
4. To make tense; to tighten; to distend forcibly.
The ox hath therefore
stretched his yoke in vain.
Shak. 5. To draw or pull
out to greater length; to strain; as, to
stretch a tendon or muscle.
Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve.
Doddridge. 6. To exaggerate; to extend too far; as, to stretch the truth; to stretch one's credit.
They take up, one day, the most violent and stretched prerogative.
Burke.
Hear it pronounced