Stretch \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.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

Stretch \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. str["a]cka, Dan. str[ae]kke; cf. AS. str[ae]ck, 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.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

Stretch \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.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)