outstretched 1 of 2

adjective

as in extensive

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outstretched

2 of 2

verb

past tense of outstretch
1
as in extended
to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area the dog had outstretched his legs and was lying across the width of the doorway

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lengthened
to make longer having outstretched our lunch break beyond all reason, we reluctantly headed back to work

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 outstretched
Adjective
Once there, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf watch as the butterfly approaches the outstretched hand of a woman whose face is obscured, before the ominous presence crushes it in her hands. — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Aug. 2026 With her long brown hair blowing in the ocean breeze, Hurley stood with her arms outstretched, holding up a black-and-blue tie-dye beach towel. — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 15 Aug. 2026 Maye connected on checkdowns to Henry and Rhamondre Stevenson and ripped another pass to Brown on a comeback route, this time inches away from Gonzalez’s outstretched arms. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 6 Aug. 2026 Son spun and sent a shot into the short side of the net past the outstretched fingers of goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka to open the scoring. — ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026 The delicately striated crystal floated up from its tangle of purple moss, rotating slowly before Rey snapped her full concentration toward it, holding it firmly in the air and between her two outstretched hands. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 July 2026 The Tigers outfielder hit a three-run homer just over Nick Loftin’s outstretched glove in right. — Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026 Those good vibes were on display when Son’s shot whizzed between two defenders and the outstretched arms of Galaxy goalkeeper Novak Micovic. — Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2026 But in the 86th minute, Argentina’s Enzo Fernández sailed the ball above Pickford’s outstretched hand to tie the game at one-all. — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outstretched
  1. extensive
  2. extended
  3. lengthened
  4. far-reaching
  5. expanded
  6. stretched
  7. longish
  8. opened
Adjective
  • Bannister's extensive career began with Coscarelli and Angus Scrimm in 1975, leading to their legendary Phantasm collaboration.
    — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Dozens of people have died in Riselralda, a department in the heart of the Coffee Axis, and cities throughout the region have reported extensive damage.
    — Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of extensive
Verb
  • The England Under-18 international declined to sign a professional contract with Rovers, who instead extended his scholarship agreement into a third year.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Route 79 is extended to serve the 40th Street Market-Frankford (L) stop on every other trip.
    — Laura Fay, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of extended
Verb
  • Like a single on the old-skool charts, Sean Combs‘ prison time keeps moving up and down, with the Bad Boy Records founder’s stint behind bars lengthened again.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Originally built for Seabourn in the 1990s, this older ship was purchased by Windstar in 2015 and refurbished and lengthened in 2020.
    — Erica Silverstein, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of lengthened
Adjective
  • Still, nearly two years after Mangione’s shooting set off a far-reaching conversation about the healthcare industry and political violence and garnered him global notoriety, Karen Agnifilo’s own announcement to the judge landed with real gravity.
    — Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 14 Aug. 2026
  • An unusually long and far-reaching communications outage hobbled the National Weather Service just as deadly severe thunderstorms were tearing across the Midwest and Ohio Valley on Tuesday evening.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of far-reaching
Verb
  • The company also acquired a bank, expanded to tourism and even considered buying an airline.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Plans call for the addition of 9,000 more homes and expanded retail, including a supermarket and home improvement store, over the next two decades.
    — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of expanded
Verb
  • The strikes have stretched from the European part of Russia to Yekaterinburg, over 2,000 kilometers (about 1,250 miles) from Ukraine's border.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Caution tape was stretched across the area, and the Chicago Fire Department scuba team was spotted at the scene.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of stretched
Adjective
  • The errand conveniently provided the opportunity for a longish highway test of Lexus’ newest luxury people-mover.
    — Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2026
  • When the front door opens, they’re greeted by an androgynous person with longish hair, thick eyebrows and a deep voice.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2025
Definition of longish
Verb
  • Upper West Market is an indoor farmers market that opened in August in Atlanta’s Underwood Hills neighborhood with a variety of vendors offering fresh produce, local meat, pantry goods and homeware.
    — Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Ruti continues to expand with more brick-and-mortar stores and recently opened their first Manhattan store, since the in-person experience has always been a cornerstone of the brand.
    — Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of opened

Browse Nearby Words

outstretch
outstretched
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Cite this Entry

“Outstretched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outstretched. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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