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ligament, or muscle, by sudden and excessive exertion, as by wrenching; to overstrain, or stretch injuriously, but without luxation; as, to sprain one's ankle.

To spread and stretch the body or limbs carelessly in a horizontal position; to lie with the limbs stretched out ungracefully.

To extend in length and breadth, or in breadth only; to stretch or expand to a broad or broader surface or extent; to open; to unfurl; as, to spread a carpet; to spread a tent or a sail. He bought a parcel of a field where he had spread his tent. Gen. xxxiii. 19. Here the Rhone Hath spread himself a couch. Byron.…

stand to. (a) To ply; to urge; to persevere in using. "Stand to your tackles, mates, and stretch your oars." Dryden. (b) To remain fixed in a purpose or opinion. "I will stand to it, that this is his sense." Bp. Stillingfleet. (c) To abide by; to adhere to; as to a contrast, assertion, promise, etc.; as, to stand to a…

To escape or stretch beyond proper limits, as the branches of a plant; to spread widely apart; to shoot too far or widely in growth. Trim off the small, superfluous branches on each side of the hedge that straggle too far out. Mortimer.

To draw with force; to extend with great effort; to stretch; as, to strain a rope; to strain the shrouds of a ship; to strain the cords of a musical instrument. "To strain his fetters with a stricter care." Dryden.

imp. & p. p. of Stretch.

To stretch; to extend; hence, to lay out, as a dead body. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

To extend; to stretch out with a wavy motion; to float in the wind; as, a flag streams in the wind.

To stretch; also, to lay out, as a dead body. See Streak. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

as with studs. The sloping sides and summits of our hills, and the extensive plains that stretch before our view, are studded with substantial, neat, and commodious dwellings of freemen. Bp. Hobart.

A line subtending, or stretching across; a chord; as, the subtense of an arc.

ix dioceses in the suburbs of Rome subject to the pope as bishop of Rome. The pope having stretched his authority beyond the bounds of his suburbicarian precincts. Barrow.

A small frame, commonly circular, and somewhat resembling a tambourine, used for stretching, and firmly holding, a portion of cloth that is to be embroidered; also, the embroidery done upon such a frame; -- called also, in the latter sense, tambour work.

le over his head hung branches laden with choice fruit which likewise receded whenever he stretched out his hand to grasp them.

Tight; stretched; not slack; -- said esp. of a rope that is tightly strained.

A contrivence used in a loom for keeping the web stretched transversely.

Stretched tightly; strained to stiffness; rigid; not lax; as, a tense fiber. The temples were sunk, her forehead was tense, and a fatal paleness was upon her. Goldsmith. -- Tense"ly, adv. -- Tense"ness, n.

The act of stretching or straining; the state of being stretched or strained to stiffness; the state of being bent strained; as, the tension of the muscles, tension of the larynx.

A muscle that stretches a part, or renders it tense.