STRETCH, v.t. [L.]

1. Extension in length or in breadth; reach; as, a great stretch of wings. – Ray.
2. Effort; struggle; strain. Those put lawful authority upon the stretch to the abuse of power, under color of prerogative. – L'Estrange.
3. Force of body; straining. By stretch of arms the distant shore to gain. – Dryden.
4. Utmost extent of meaning. Quotations in their utmost stretch, can signify no more than that Luther lay under severe agonies of mind. – Atterbury.
5. Utmost reach of power. This is the utmost stretch that nature can. – Granville.
6. In sailing, a tack; the reach or extent of progress on one tack. – Mar. Dict.
7. Course; direction; as, the stretch of seams of coal. – Kirwan

1. To be extended; to be drawn out in length or in breadth, or both. A wet hempen cord or cloth contracts; in drying, it stretches.
2. To be extended; to spread; as, a lake stretches over a hundred miles of earth. Lake Erie stretches from Niagara nearly to Huron. Hence,
3. To stretch to, is to reach.
4. To be extended or to bear extension without breaking, as elastic substances. The inner membrane … because it would stretch and yield, remained unbroken. – Boyle.
5. To sally beyond the truth; to exaggerate. A man who is apt to stretch, has less credit than others.
6. In navigation, to sail; to direct a course. It is often understood to signify to sail under a great spread of canvas close hauled. In this it differs from stand, which implies no press of sail. We were standing to the east, when we saw a ship stretching to the southward.
7. To make violent efforts in running.

1. To dress out to greater length; to extend in a line; as, to stretch a cord or a rope.
2. To extend in breadth; as, to stretch cloth.
3. To spread; to expand; as, to stretch the wings.
4. To reach; to extend. Stretch thine hand to the poor. – Ecculus.
5. To spread; to display; as, to stretch forth the heavens. – Tillotson.
6. To draw or pull out in length; to strain; as, to stretch a tendon or muscle.
7. To make tense; to strain. So the stretch'd cord the shackled dancer tries. – Smith.
8. To extend mentally; as, to stretch the mind or thoughts.
9. To exaggerate; to extend too far; as, to stretch the truth; to stretch one's credit.

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 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.

3. 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.

4. To draw out to the full length; to cause to extend in a straight line; as, to stretch a cord or rope.
5. To extend or spread one's self, or one's limbs; as, the lazy man yawns and stretches.
6. 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.

7. To cause to extend in breadth; to spread; to expand; as, to stretch cloth; to stretch the wings.
8. 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.

9. 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.

10. To make tense; to tighten; to distend forcibly.
    
    

    The ox hath therefore stretched his yoke in vain. Shak.

11. To strain the truth; to exaggerate; as, a man apt to stretch in his report of facts.
    
    
    [Obs. or Colloq.]
12. The reach or extent of a vessel's progress on one tack; a tack or board.
13. To draw or pull out to greater length; to strain; as, to stretch a tendon or muscle.
    
    

    Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve. Doddridge.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.