I. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a queue stretches somewhere
▪
The queue stretched the full length of the building.
a stretch mark (= a mark on your skin caused by stretching )
▪
Most women get stretch marks when they have a baby.
a stretch of coast (= a long area of coast )
▪
The 13th century chapel lies on a spectacular stretch of coast.
a stretch/expanse of desert (= a very large area of desert )
▪
In front of us was nothing but a vast expanse of desert.
a stretch/section of motorway
▪
This stretch of motorway is always very busy.
bend/stretch the rules (= allow someone to do something that is not normally allowed )
▪
They bend the rules to suit themselves.
extend/increase/stretch sb’s lead (= make the lead bigger )
▪
The Australian rugby team extended its lead with a try from Stirling Mortlock.
home stretch
▪
as the election campaign headed into the home stretch
sb's nerves are stretched (to breaking point) (= they feel very nervous or worried )
▪
Her nerves were stretched almost to breaking point as she waited.
strain/stretch credulity (= seem very difficult to believe )
▪
It strained credulity to believe that a nuclear war would not lead to the destruction of the planet.
stretch its wings (= open them completely )
▪
The cage was so small the birds could not even stretch their wings.
stretch limo
stretch mark
stretch of coastline
▪
a beautiful stretch of coastline
stretch your muscles
▪
It’s a good idea to stretch your muscles after weight lifting.
stretch/hold out your arms
▪
I dreamt I saw my mother again with her arms stretched out towards me.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
far
▪
The significance of their municipal election on June 30 stretches far beyond this unfortunate town.
▪
Leeds C &038; A cheaper separates just did not stretch far enough.
▪
Even so there were times when the money just would not stretch far enough.
▪
Their shadows stretched far ahead of them in the morning sun, and he leapt down on to the shadow of the leader.
▪
Impressive enough as a light visual snack, but ultimately a ten-minute gag stretched far past breaking point.
▪
Because a Hoover lead would never stretch far enough!
gently
▪
Raise your arms towards the toes, lifting the head and shoulders off the floor. Gently stretch upwards for 15 counts.
▪
From here, gently stretch forwards for 25 counts.
▪
Stretch arms up high, then slowly lean forwards as far as you can without straining. Gently stretch forwards for 25 counts.
▪
The legs should be gently stretched in this exercise.
▪
Lower the hands and body towards one leg. Gently stretch forwards for 15 counts, holding each stretch for 1 second.
■ NOUN
area
▪
Maureen covers an area which stretches from Swansea to Wootton Bassett and across to Birmingham.
▪
The depot will serve an area stretching from Dumbarton to Cumbernauld.
▪
But worst hit is the area stretching from Witney to Wallingford with a 20% rise.
▪
To tone the chin and neck area , stretch you chin up as you do the exercise.
arm
▪
He stretched out his arms but had no room to manoeuvre.
▪
Then, gradually, he stretched out in her arms .
▪
Millions of tiny polyps have emerged from their limestone cells to stretch out their minuscule arms and grope for food.
▪
Jim switched his engine off and stretched his arms .
▪
He then stretches out his arms and attempts to grab the sole of each foot.
▪
It gets even better when you stop, stretch out your arms and soak in the surroundings with a full turn.
body
▪
I was stretched full-length upon the bodies , my battered hand resting on the rim of the tub.
▪
He lay back and she stretched her body over his, leaning to his mouth and parting his lips with her tongue.
▪
Just as you have stretched your body beyond what you had previously thought possible, so you can stretch your mind.
▪
She raised her arms, stretched her long tanned body in the heat of the sun.
▪
You will be told to try to stretch and relax your body from the feet upwards.
▪
She sighed and stretched her body sensuously beneath the sheet, listening dreamily to the almost comforting thrum of the receding planes.
▪
If you are not regularly stretching your body aerobically in some form of continuous whole body exercise, then you are sedentary.
imagination
▪
An artificial creature made of metal discs and beads may be stretching the imagination a bit.
▪
This is not absolutely necessary but it would stretch your imagination and further clarify the entire research process from beginning to end.
▪
This game will certainly stretch the imagination of D &038; D gamers.
▪
Now, for a moment I want you to stretch your imagination to the limits.
▪
Like mathematics, it doesn't only stretch the imagination .
▪
It is not Venice but it has warmth, colour, and views such as could stretch the most infertile imagination .
lead
▪
Woods then holed a birdie putt from six feet to stretch his lead to four.
▪
Two plays later, Humphries found Martin in the corner of the end zone to stretch the lead to 14-0.
▪
Dundela stretched their lead with further goals from Wilson and Doey.
▪
Davy Marrs stretched North's lead with a try a minute before half time following a good three-quarter line movement.
▪
In the second half Aston stretched Sheffield's lead with another penalty.
▪
Second Division leaders Stockton stretched their lead at the top to points after they beat Hebburn 4-1.
▪
He stretched the lead two minutes into the second half with his fourth kick.
leg
▪
Instead of sitting on the Alligator, you sit in it, with your legs stretched forward.
▪
When these peo-ple get up and move the legs , or stretch them, or massage them, the sensation goes away.
▪
He sat leaning against the back of the seat with his legs stretched out straight in front of him.
▪
Straighten both legs and stretch right out of your hips; straighten the spine and let your chin fall to your chest.
▪
Move your legs apart and stretch your hands above your head.
▪
The legs should be gently stretched in this exercise.
▪
Sitting with legs apart, stretch up, then twist at the waist and lower the hands and body towards one leg.
length
▪
I swung my boots up on to the bed and stretched out full length .
▪
And the line, which stretched nearly the length of Mizner Park, moved quickly.
▪
Eliot was stretched the length of his iron bedstead.
▪
The field of battle which our commanding generals selected stretched its length for six miles through that great forest....
▪
Anthea turned out the light and stretched full length on the bed.
▪
Horton had stretched lengths of fabric, also figured, over the doors, creating a deep, cave-like illusion.
▪
The exit was impossible to reach as this abyss stretched the length of the floor.
▪
The Headmaster turned towards a row of small carts sitting on a miniature railway track that stretched the length of the corridor.
limit
▪
Similar incidents occurred all over the Old City and the manpower Owen could command was stretched to its limit .
▪
When they act in concert, the individual soon begins to feel stretched to the limit .
▪
Banks have frozen loans and many small businesses are stretched to the limit .
▪
Employees, when surveyed, had repeatedly reported being stretched to the limit .
▪
However, these constraints need to be tested and stretched to their limits .
▪
Resources are stretched to the limit and, unless some one helps, the country will be awash with tears on Christmas morning.
▪
Olympic ideals were stretched to the limit .
line
▪
The second half of the nineteenth century saw suburban development along the railway lines stretching out of Paris.
▪
And the line , which stretched nearly the length of Mizner Park, moved quickly.
▪
He saw a line of fires stretching across South London, huge fires at regular intervals, their flames red and frightening.
▪
By 6: 30 a. m., the line of Selena look-alikes stretched nearly three blocks.
▪
Elasticity is important: I do not always prefer a line which stretches the least.
▪
Bobbie exhorted, as we sat staring at the invisible line that stretched beyond us.
▪
As the many Ontario lines stretched out in the 1870s and 1880s, dozens of new stations were built.
▪
Organizers who were fretting about millions of unsold tickets are contending with lines of hopeful spectators stretching five city blocks.
mile
▪
Of sand, surf and sea stretching for mile after mile after mile into the blue haze.
▪
Endlessly, the weeks stretched out, like mile upon mile of ocean.
▪
A convoy of cars stretching for miles was escorted by Merseyside Police outriders.
▪
It stretched for miles in each direction, with not a soul to be seen.
▪
An audience can only sit at the front of the stage and the hall stretches back for miles .
▪
Silhouetted sticks of rotted snow barriers emphasise godforsaken desert stretching for endless miles .
▪
The village itself stretches for about a mile southwards from the Driffield-Bridlington road.
▪
Five miles away the Ceredigion heritage coast stretches for miles and miles.
neck
▪
People before have stretched their necks towards them, like you, wonder-gazing children not able to sleep.
▪
His smallest robot is bigger than a man; the largest is two-stories high when it stretches its neck .
▪
When the man stepped back he trotted, stretching his neck to the ground.
▪
The chickens were walking around loose, stretching out their necks , pulling them back.
▪
Habit of appearing to stand on tiptoe, stretching the neck .
▪
Some held their chins high, stretching necks , their expressions agonized, like martyrs in paintings.
▪
As it is, I've stretched my neck out by ordering a full alert in the West Country.
point
▪
It may stretch credulity to the point that signs of real abuse are overlooked.
▪
But we are stretching a point , you might argue.
▪
But here Hallinan again stretches his point about direct economic interest.
▪
We have stretched points , legitimately and logically we trust, in other areas of the structure.
▪
Now there, I'd stretch a point .
▪
The imagination of the most extreme selectionist is stretched to breaking point by such a situation.
▪
The silence vibrated with tension, and Polly felt her nerves stretch almost to snapping point .
▪
I think it has come at a very unfortunate time, putting some stretched farmers at breaking point .
skin
▪
It was a rough job, but somehow it didn't look that different with the skin stretched over straw instead of ribs.
▪
Her skin , stretched over tendons and bones, had the delicacy of rice paper.
▪
The wrinkled skin was stretched tightly over the bones, paper-thin, blue-shadowed over pink crêpe.
▪
Their skin was stretched out between long spines, which seems to have acted as a cooling radiator.
▪
Tugged on that glossy skin until her eyes stretched wide and her chin tipped back.
▪
If too high the skin will stretch and be too thin.
■ VERB
seem
▪
Still the road seemed to stretch onwards endlessly, darkness replacing darkness, as he staggered forward.
▪
Sometimes countries seem to stretch these criteria.
▪
It glittered like glass and seemed to stretch out endlessly.
▪
If Virginia Street seemed to stretch the material to fill the space, this second play seems to cram it in.
▪
The woods used to seem to stretch up to the sky.
▪
The old mills, which had employed thousands, seemed to stretch on for miles.
▪
Its sing-a-long chorus was tempered with a churning ending that seemed to stretch for half the song.
stand
▪
He relinquished her hand and stood , stretching the tiredness from his muscles.
▪
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, stood up, and stretched .
▪
Habit of appearing to stand on tiptoe, stretching the neck.
▪
Opening his door Elder Brother jumped down, stumbled briefly then stood and stretched .
▪
Surkov and I stood up and stretched .
▪
I wanted to stand up and stretch .
▪
His friend Theseus stood before him and stretched out his hands to clasp those bloodstained hands.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
run/stretch/walk etc the (full) length of sth
▪
A faint scar ran the length of his left cheek.
▪
I always enjoyed walking the full length of the street to check how the other shops were faring.
▪
I would have to walk the length of the shed to reach him.
▪
Next door, the living room is large and beautifully proportioned, running the length of the house.
▪
The loft ran the length of the house from front to back, and it was lit by two unshaded forty-watt bulbs.
▪
Then Red runs the length of the court, grabs a pass, drives to the basket and sinks one.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
"Can I borrow your boots?" "No, you'll stretch them."
▪
Stretch the canvas so that it covers the whole frame.
▪
Campers stretched string between posts to mark off their sites.
▪
Careful, don't stretch it, it'll snap!
▪
elasticated straps designed to stretch easily
▪
He stretched a large tarpaulin over the vehicle, tying it down at the corners.
▪
I think this sweater must have stretched when I washed it.
▪
I was disappointed with the course -- I didn't feel I was being stretched enough.
▪
Lycra shorts will stretch to fit you perfectly.
▪
Norma picked up a stocking, stretched it and then pulled it onto her foot.
▪
Seth stretched the phone cord around the corner so that he could speak in private.
▪
Sometimes we have to stretch one day's food into two.
▪
The elastic stretches so that the shoe can be slipped on and off.
▪
The exercises are designed to stretch the abilities of even the most advanced students.
▪
The game is a lot of fun, and it really stretches the kids.
▪
The oil slick stretched all the way to the horizon.
▪
There were poppy fields stretching as far as the eye could see.
▪
This fabric will stretch if you wash it in hot water.
▪
Today, just 5% remains of the original wooded land that stretched from the Atlantic to the Mississippi.
▪
Uncle John pulled hard on the bell-rope, which stretched and then broke.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
Fish cakes of all kinds are a terrific way to use up leftovers or stretch a quantity of protein.
▪
It would stretch round the equator 97 times or reach to the moon and back five times.
▪
Now there, I'd stretch a point.
▪
Threads are then stretched or loosened by the weaver moving her body back and forth.
II. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
final
▪
The debate is a milestone signalling the final stretch in the campaign leading to the caucuses.
▪
The van laboured its way up the final stretch of the brae, its engine protesting at the strain.
▪
As the debate moves into the final stretch , Britain is not without its bargaining cards either.
full
▪
Ahead, her father was riding alongside the hounds, at full stretch .
▪
I was already at full stretch .
▪
Even so, their defence was at full stretch with the pace and movement of Saha and Hayles.
▪
Last night, emergency services were still at full stretch and a full picture of the disaster had not yet emerged.
▪
Jim Magilton, who has our vote as man of the match, had the champions at full stretch .
▪
All the services for mental health seemed to be at full stretch already, he said.
▪
Slowly lower your heels to the floor, gaining full stretch .
▪
Then she swiped me right across the nose, claws at full stretch .
large
▪
In written language rhetorical organisers of larger stretches of discourse appear, like firstly, more important than and in conclusion.
▪
So beyond drilling simple sentences, it is necessary to drill larger stretches of speech. 7.2.5.
▪
Despite the size of the river, returning this water will inevitably kill life over large stretches .
lonely
▪
Not a wet, cold, grey and grizzly day on a lonely and deserted stretch of coast at Birkenhead.
▪
The lonely , two-mile stretch was not unsuited to ambush.
▪
Despite cutting back the undergrowth to keep routes open, footpads and other outlaws haunted most lonely stretches of road.
▪
Do you have to cross lonely stretches of ground between your home and the bus stop or railway station?
▪
This time a thirty-year-old schoolteacher cycling home to Hunstanton who had a puncture on a lonely stretch of road.
long
▪
Lydia was resigning herself to a long stretch of celibacy.
▪
We seemed to drift into tranquility once we reached the long plateau stretch on the high road to Taos.
▪
For long stretches there is almost no vegetation, just rocky fields divided by the winding asphalt.
▪
She was last seen alive early that evening on a long stretch of deserted road outside Aurora.
▪
This grouping worked quite efficiently, and a long stretch of fence was built on Donald's first day.
▪
He entertained himself for long stretches with trucks and cars, mumbling to himself as he crashed them together.
▪
He says it's a long stretch of road and you need at least two service areas.
▪
Players work long stretches gathering clues without a villain in sight.
narrow
▪
Across from the bay, beyond a narrow stretch of water, was a small island, an islet, rather.
particular
▪
Quiet and observant walkers may see red deer along this particular stretch .
▪
The particular stretch of road we want to follow is smack dab in the middle of four topographical maps.
▪
His Honour Mark Dyer said the fish farm was well aware that that particular stretch of river was reserved for brown trout.
short
▪
This divides the vista into short stretches , an important element in persuading drivers to slow down.
▪
He was accompanied for short stretches of his route by National Trust wardens.
▪
Suddenly, a car appeared at the end of the short stretch of road beyond his men.
▪
This required 18 traverses, short stretches of road linked by sharp bends, with beyond it a ravine.
▪
On Sheet 145 there is a short stretch of lane so described immediately south of Banbury.
▪
I charged over rocks and taking a run at sand, found that the wheel would skate for short stretches .
straight
▪
They were capable of a good turn of speed on the straight stretch between South Croydon and Purley.
▪
He ran his heart out, down the glistening straight stretch of Palm Avenue.
▪
Is there any need to signal along such a nice straight stretch of track? 33.
vast
▪
The vast stretch , the pace of time.
▪
The argument raged over vast stretches of territory, or rather over a series of labels that stood for territory.
whole
▪
The guides were planning to do the whole stretch and include us novices on the easier sections.
▪
This whole stretch has had lots of men coming.
▪
Critics say it should apply along the whole stretch .
▪
In fact this whole stretch of low-lying coastline, one of the most environmentally important in Britain, would be at risk.
▪
Two club contests at Boveton Beach produced nothing and just a few codling from the whole stretch of beach.
▪
The second area to turn attention to after the objective, is this whole area of stretch .
▪
However long she had been there, the whole stretch was a dingy aching trail of work and beatings.
wide
▪
There were now four people on the long wide stretch of strand.
▪
The room became a beach, a wide stretch , and the tide was turning on it, going out.
▪
From it you see the wide stretch of beach used in the opening scene of Chariots of Fire.
■ NOUN
home
▪
I was tired on the home stretch , but the crowd was wonderful.
▪
Clinton also had two personal strikes against him as he went into the home stretch toward the July Democratic convention.
■ VERB
enter
▪
Foreign language learners need to enter into long stretches of communication, in real and complex situations.
▪
Shortly thereafter we enter a stretch of shallow pools and channels cut into the rock by a millennium of erosion.
hold
▪
It is important to hold the stretches for two minutes in a position of mild tension, not pain.
▪
Gently stretch forwards for 25 counts, holding each stretch for 1 second.
▪
Any further hold up to the Spittalburn stretch will cost the taxpayer a six-figure sum for each week's delay.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
a seven-year stretch
▪
an empty stretch of highway
▪
During their worst stretch of 1996, the Padres lost 19 of their 23 games.
▪
He spent several brief stretches in jail for minor offences.
▪
I do my stretches the minute I get out of bed.
▪
Sometimes between battles, there were long stretches of time when nothing happened.
▪
The stretch of coastline between Barcelona and the French border is called the Costa Brava.
▪
This is the last game in a four-day stretch here at the Forum.
▪
Washing in hot water can make the fabric lose its stretch .
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
At 650 acres Draycote Water is the biggest stretch of water in the south Midlands and offers a wide range of activities.
▪
Each slow curve of the waterway showed another glittering stretch with no end, however.
▪
He entertained himself for long stretches with trucks and cars, mumbling to himself as he crashed them together.
▪
She looked round and saw this woman also had stretch marks on her stomach.
▪
Some of the Acutes hide grins, and McMurphy takes a huge stretch , yawns, winks at Harding.
▪
This stretch of road is oyster country and there are several spots in Marshall and Tomales to purchase the mollusks.
III. adjective
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
Not boring white or dark blue broadcloth, but in an explosion of colors and fabrics, from stretch denim to corduroy.
▪
Scuba-tight stretch pants, uncomfortable and a little too revealing, are out.