as in enlarged
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in exaggerated
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 lengthened
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 tried
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
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 stretched
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Wiley often wears her hair in a stretched state, combing through her gray coils with a blow dryer before doing a braid-out.
—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
29 May 2026
Once activated, the Fe-SMA bars aim to shrink back to their pre-stretched shape.
—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Feb. 2026
It’s formulated with calcium to promote new cell growth, adenosine to fill in wrinkles, collagen to maintain your skin’s density and thickness, elastin to restore stretched skin, and Vitamin D for rejuvenation.
—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
30 Jan. 2026
America’s health care system is straining under the twin pressures of an aging population and a stretched pool of health care providers.
—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025
Ilana Kaplan,
PEOPLE,
5 July 2026
Brazil were energetic and vertical, Vinicius Junior and Rayan stretched their opponents and Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time winner was just reward.
—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
5 July 2026
For the crowd that still stretched several heads deep in many nooks along Hope Street, braving the sun provided a positively patriotic experience that didn't disappoint.
—
Nolan Rogalski,
The Providence Journal,
5 July 2026
Young, who averaged 25 points in the G-league last season, scored 21 points, including a three that stretched the Heat’s lead to five late in the game.
—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
4 July 2026
Antonelli's first win since last month's Monaco Grand Prix stretched his Formula 1 standings lead to 43 points over teammate Russell, who was fourth after starting fifth.
—
ABC News,
4 July 2026
Utah's state forester, Jamie Barnes, told reporters that fires across the state this season had been moving in ways that had stretched Utah's firefighting capacity to its limits, with new fires beginning closer to populated areas than in previous years.
—
Willem Marx,
NPR,
28 June 2026
Minnesota led 28-16 after the first quarter, then stretched the lead to 45-29 at halftime after holding Dallas to 11-for-37 shooting with eight turnovers before the break.
—
CBS News,
28 June 2026
Meanwhile, disputes within the Johnson administration over how to steer the CARE program stretched from last year up until Ige’s departure.
—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2026
Adjective
But the case shapes alone tell you Samsung isn’t treating the Wide as a stretched version of the Ultra.
—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Wiley often wears her hair in a stretched state, combing through her gray coils with a blow dryer before doing a braid-out.
—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
29 May 2026
Once activated, the Fe-SMA bars aim to shrink back to their pre-stretched shape.
—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Feb. 2026
It’s formulated with calcium to promote new cell growth, adenosine to fill in wrinkles, collagen to maintain your skin’s density and thickness, elastin to restore stretched skin, and Vitamin D for rejuvenation.
—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
30 Jan. 2026
America’s health care system is straining under the twin pressures of an aging population and a stretched pool of health care providers.
—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
Stars including Reese Witherspoon, Emma Stone and Paul Rudd were seen departing the venue after the festivities began Friday evening and stretched until the early hours of Saturday morning.
—
Ilana Kaplan,
PEOPLE,
5 July 2026
Brazil were energetic and vertical, Vinicius Junior and Rayan stretched their opponents and Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time winner was just reward.
—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
5 July 2026
For the crowd that still stretched several heads deep in many nooks along Hope Street, braving the sun provided a positively patriotic experience that didn't disappoint.
—
Nolan Rogalski,
The Providence Journal,
5 July 2026
Young, who averaged 25 points in the G-league last season, scored 21 points, including a three that stretched the Heat’s lead to five late in the game.
—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
4 July 2026
Antonelli's first win since last month's Monaco Grand Prix stretched his Formula 1 standings lead to 43 points over teammate Russell, who was fourth after starting fifth.
—
ABC News,
4 July 2026
Utah's state forester, Jamie Barnes, told reporters that fires across the state this season had been moving in ways that had stretched Utah's firefighting capacity to its limits, with new fires beginning closer to populated areas than in previous years.
—
Willem Marx,
NPR,
28 June 2026
Minnesota led 28-16 after the first quarter, then stretched the lead to 45-29 at halftime after holding Dallas to 11-for-37 shooting with eight turnovers before the break.
—
CBS News,
28 June 2026
Meanwhile, disputes within the Johnson administration over how to steer the CARE program stretched from last year up until Ige’s departure.
—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stretched
Adjective
-
That starts right up front with a full makeover that pairs a simplified bumper with a set of enlarged LED headlights.
-
According to the release, the medical director allegedly signed off on one patient's test results as normal, despite indications that the patient had an enlarged heart.
Verb
-
Emma Wager, senior policy analyst for the program on the ACA at KFF, said there is fraud in the ACA marketplace, but the scale described by the federal government may be exaggerated.
-
One Iranian woman, sporting a Pride flag behind her ear, brushed off the culture clash, saying the media exaggerated most of it.
Verb
-
Cape Verde almost pulled the biggest upset in World Cup history.
-
Garibay’s one-handed save denied Jonathan Ricketts a sure goal in the 64th minute, and Moon pulled a 30-yard opportunity off a poor corner kick clearance just wide left.
Verb
-
Commissioning budgets have tightened, development cycles have lengthened and the opportunities for growing indies to scale have become increasingly limited.
-
The hunting season has been lengthened by nearly two months, and there is no bag limit on does.
Verb
-
Days later, Kelce tried and failed to give her a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it at her Kansas City show, the first domino to fall in the couple’s fabled romance.
-
Commissioner Lyle tried to delay the vote, but Commission President Dillon shot it down, saying the City-County Council was waiting on the proposal to be sent their way.
Verb
-
Where Jović tightened as the match went on, after the energy of claiming an up-and-down first set, Pegula relaxed and trusted her game.
-
Commissioning budgets have tightened, development cycles have lengthened and the opportunities for growing indies to scale have become increasingly limited.
Adjective
-
Wasting no time, the students adorned their white padded uniforms.
-
The exterior features a locking zippered pocket for easy access to essentials, while the main compartment includes RFID-blocking card and passport slots as well as a padded tablet sleeve.
Verb
-
Aerial video captured by ABC7 showed smoke rising from a smoldering truck as a long line of cars extended south of the incident.
-
After a two-month grace period — which Wellcare extended to three — Medicare drug plans can drop customers who don't pay their premiums, no matter how small the amount.
Cite this Entry
“Stretched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stretched. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
