the stretch
noun
: the final straight part of a racecourse before the finish line
the horses are in the (final) stretch
—often used figurativelyShe's in the final stretch. The baby's due next month.
They will wind up the season with a winning record having won some crucial games down the stretch.
Examples of the stretch in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Just in the stretch, (the) ball’s outside the glove and then the hand’s outside the glove, so it’s kind of getting rained on and the rosin bag’s getting wet.
—
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Apr. 2024
More than their own shot-making ability down the stretch, the victory was a function of an awful shooting day for Mavericks All-Star forward Luka Doncic, who made only four of 13 shots in the first half, including one of seven three-pointers.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Key injuries late in the season to players like Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter also hurt the Kings’ chances down the stretch.
—Michael McGough, Sacramento Bee, 20 Apr. 2024
The Warriors held a narrow one-point lead over the struggling Blazers going into the fourth quarter but pulled away down the stretch behind a team-high 22 points from Steph Curry.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
There would be eight more during the regular season in similar fashion, leading or being within a point in the second half, then falling flat down the stretch, missing a free throw, turning it over, failing to grab a rebound.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
That’s precisely what the Hornets did against Cleveland on Wednesday night, making all the pertinent plays down the stretch to take a 116-111 victory and snap a five-game losing streak.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
The Captain of the Port of Pittsburgh put a safety zone into place between the two dams on Monday, barring navigation and transport in the stretch of river, the USACE said in a Facebook post.
—USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Decades of neglecting the muscles in the arch, the stretch of our Achilles, and the flexibility of our toes mean that our feet have a lot of relearning to do.
—Laura Lancaster, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2024
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Apr. 2024
More than their own shot-making ability down the stretch, the victory was a function of an awful shooting day for Mavericks All-Star forward Luka Doncic, who made only four of 13 shots in the first half, including one of seven three-pointers.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Key injuries late in the season to players like Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter also hurt the Kings’ chances down the stretch.
—Michael McGough, Sacramento Bee, 20 Apr. 2024
The Warriors held a narrow one-point lead over the struggling Blazers going into the fourth quarter but pulled away down the stretch behind a team-high 22 points from Steph Curry.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
There would be eight more during the regular season in similar fashion, leading or being within a point in the second half, then falling flat down the stretch, missing a free throw, turning it over, failing to grab a rebound.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
That’s precisely what the Hornets did against Cleveland on Wednesday night, making all the pertinent plays down the stretch to take a 116-111 victory and snap a five-game losing streak.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
The Captain of the Port of Pittsburgh put a safety zone into place between the two dams on Monday, barring navigation and transport in the stretch of river, the USACE said in a Facebook post.
—USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Decades of neglecting the muscles in the arch, the stretch of our Achilles, and the flexibility of our toes mean that our feet have a lot of relearning to do.
—Laura Lancaster, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the stretch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the stretch
Cite this Entry
“The stretch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20stretch. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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