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1. Act of expanding by lengthening or widening
    
2. Exercise designed to extend the limbs and muscles to their full extent
   - stretch

1. Occupy a large, elongated area
   "The park stretched beneath the train line";
   - stretch along
    
2. Extend one's limbs or muscles, or the entire body
   "Stretch your legs!";
   - extend
    
3. Make longer or of full length; remove folds by pulling
   "stretch out that piece of cloth";
   - unfold, stretch out, extend
    
4. Become longer by being stretched and pulled
   "The fabric stretches"
    
5. Make long or longer by pulling and stretching
   "stretch the fabric";
   - elongate
    
6. Lie down comfortably
   "To enjoy the picnic, we stretched out on the grass";
   - stretch out
    
7. Pull in opposite directions
   "During the Inquisition, the torturers would stretch their victims on a rack"
    
8. Extend the scope or meaning of; often unduly
   "Stretch the limits"; "stretch my patience"; "stretch the imagination"
    
9. Corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones
   - load, adulterate, dilute, debase
    
10. Increase in quantity or bulk by adding a cheaper substance
    "stretch the soup by adding some more cream";
    - extend
     
11. Extend one's body or limbs
    "Let's stretch for a minute--we've been sitting here for over 3 hours";
    - stretch out

Derived forms: stretchings

Type of: be, broaden, change form, change shape, corrupt, deform, draw, enlargement, exercise, exercising, expansion, extend, grow, increase, lengthen, lie, lie down, move, physical exercise, physical exertion, pull, spoil, strain, tense, tense up, widen, workout

Antonym: contract

Encyclopedia: Stretching