ADJ
- great, huge, large, long, open, vast, wide
- A great stretch of ocean lay beneath them
- narrow, short, small
- straight
- a straight stretch of road
- continuous, unbroken
- beautiful, lovely
- deserted, empty, lonely
- an empty stretch of beach
- fast
- dangerous, hazardous
- coastal
- a wild uninhabited coastal stretch
PREP
- along a/the ~
- There are tailbacks along a 10-mile stretch of the motorway
- on a/the ~
- The festival is being held on a stretch of parkland near the river
- ~ of
VERB + STRETCH
- have
- Have a good stretch from time to time to prevent yourself getting stiff
PHRASES
- at full stretch
- Her arms were at full stretch
ADV
- taut/tautly, tight/tightly
- Make sure that the rope is stretched tight. Stretch the fabric tightly over the frame
PREP
- across, between, over
- Striped awnings had been stretched across the courtyard
ADV
- gently
- lazily, luxuriously
- He stirred and stretched lazily
- full-length
- Andrea turned out the light and stretched full-length on the bed
- down, forwards, out, up, upwards
- She stretched up to reach the top shelf
ADV
- far
- The wood does not stretch very far
- endlessly
- ahead, away
- The road stretched ahead
VERB + STRETCH
- seem to
- The beach seemed to stretch endlessly
PREP
- along, beyond, for
- The beach stretches for five miles
- from, into, to
- an area which stretches from London to the north
ADV
- endlessly
- back, out
- The town's history stretches back to before 1500
PREP
- before
- Endless summer days stretched out before us
- into
- The talks look set to stretch into a second week
ADV
- really
- fully
- We can't take on any more work?we're fully stretched as it is
PREP
- to
- This department is stretched to its limit