Meanings
stretching1
plural stretchings
- countableuncountableThe act by which something is stretched.
[Skins] must be submitted to several washings, treadings, and stretchings, before they acquire the necessary pliancy.
1859, Victor Regnault, Elements of Chemistry - countableuncountableA form of physical exercise in which a specific skeletal muscle (or muscle group) is deliberately elongated to its fullest length in order to improve the muscle's felt elasticity and reaffirm comfortable muscle tone.
stretching2
comparative more stretching · superlative most stretching
- Requiring a high level of effort or performance.
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of stretch
Synonyms & antonyms
nounexercise designed to extend the limbs and muscles to their full extent
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
stretching · noun
- Middle Englishstrecching
- Englishstretching
From Middle English strecching, strecchinge, equivalent to stretch + -ing.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →stretching · adjective, verb
- Proto-West Germanic*strakkjandī
- Old Englishstreċċende
- Middle Englishstrecchinge
- Englishstretching
From Middle English strecchinge, strecchynge, from Old English streċċende, from Proto-West Germanic *strakkjandī, present participle of *strakkjan (“to stretch”), equivalent to stretch + -ing.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian разтя́гане
- разтя́гане (raztjágane)a form of physical exercise
Czech strečink, protahování
- strečinka form of physical exercise
- protahovánía form of physical exercise
French étirement, stretching
- étirementa form of physical exercise
- stretchinga form of physical exercise
German Dehngymnastik
- Dehngymnastika form of physical exercise
Hungarian nyújtás, kinyújtás
- nyújtása form of physical exercise
- kinyújtása form of physical exercise
Italian allungamento, stiramento
- allungamentoa form of physical exercise
- stiramentoa form of physical exercise
Japanese ストレッチ, ストレッチング
- ストレッチ (sutoretchi)a form of physical exercise
- ストレッチング (sutoretchingu)a form of physical exercise
- ストレッチ体操 (sutoretchi taisō)a form of physical exercise
Korean 스트레칭
- 스트레칭 (seuteureching)a form of physical exercise
Polish stretching
- stretchinga form of physical exercise
Portuguese alongamento
- alongamentoa form of physical exercise
Russian растя́жка
- растя́жка (rastjážka)a form of physical exercise
Spanish estiramiento
- estiramientoa form of physical exercise
Swedish stretching, stretchning
- stretchinga form of physical exercise
- stretchninga form of physical exercise
Ukrainian розтя́жка
- розтя́жка (roztjážka)a form of physical exercise
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with stretching
All rhymes →Cite this entry
stretching. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stretching
“stretching.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stretching. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stretching,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stretching.
Source: stretching on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.