Shrink vs. Stretch — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Shrink and Stretch
ADVERTISEMENT
Compare with Definitions
Shrink
To become or appear to become smaller
The shadows shrank as the sun rose higher. The mountains shrank in the distance as we drove away.
Stretch
To lengthen, widen, or distend
Stretched the sweater out of shape.
Shrink
To become smaller from exposure to heat, moisture, or cold
The sweater shrank in the wash.
Stretch
To cause to extend from one place to another or across a given space
Stretched the banner between two poles.
Shrink
To become reduced in amount or value; dwindle
His savings quickly shrank. The market for that product has been shrinking.
ADVERTISEMENT
Stretch
To make taut; tighten
Stretched the tarpaulin until it ripped.
Shrink
To move back or away, especially in fear
"She shrank back against the wall and flattened her palms against it" (Pearl S. Buck).
Stretch
To reach or put forth; extend
Stretched out his hand.
Shrink
To show reluctance; hesitate
We should not shrink from making such a sacrifice.
Stretch
To extend (oneself or one's limbs, for example) to full length
Stretched her calves before running.
Shrink
To cause to shrink
The treatment shrank the tumor.
Stretch
To extend (oneself) when lying down
She stretched herself out on the couch.
Shrink
The act of shrinking.
Stretch
To put to torture on the rack.
Shrink
The degree to which something shrinks; shrinkage.
Stretch
To wrench or strain (a muscle, for example).
Shrink
(Slang) A psychotherapist.
Stretch
To extend or enlarge beyond the usual or proper limits
Stretch the meaning of a word.
Shrink
(transitive) To cause to become smaller.
The dryer shrank my sweater.
Stretch
To subject to undue strain
To stretch one's patience.
Shrink
(intransitive) To become smaller; to contract.
This garment will shrink when wet.
Stretch
To expand in order to fulfill a larger function
Stretch a budget.
Stretch a paycheck.
Shrink
(intransitive) To cower or flinch.
Molly shrank away from the blows of the whip.
Stretch
To increase the quantity of by admixture or dilution
Stretch a meal by thinning the stew.
Shrink
(transitive) To draw back; to withdraw.
Stretch
To prolong
Stretch out an argument.
Shrink
To withdraw or retire, as from danger.
Stretch
(Informal) To fell by a blow
Stretched his opponent in the first round.
Shrink
(intransitive) To move back or away, especially because of fear or disgust.
Stretch
To become lengthened, widened, or distended.
Shrink
Shrinkage; contraction; recoil.
Stretch
To extend or reach over a distance or area or in a given direction
"On both sides of us stretched the wet plain" (Ernest Hemingway).
Shrink
A psychiatrist or psychotherapist.
You need to see a shrink, you crazy fool.
My shrink said that he was an enabler, bad for me.
Stretch
To lie down at full length
Stretched out on the bed.
Shrink
Loss of inventory, for example due to shoplifting or not selling items before their expiration date.
Stretch
To extend one's muscles or limbs, as after prolonged sitting or on awakening.
Shrink
To wrinkle, bend, or curl; to shrivel; hence, to contract into a less extent or compass; to gather together; to become compacted.
And on a broken reed he still did stayHis feeble steps, which shrunk when hard thereon he lay.
I have not found that water, by mixture of ashes, will shrink or draw into less room.
Against this fire do I shrink up.
And shrink like parchment in consuming fire.
All the boards did shrink.
Stretch
To extend over a given period of time
"This story stretches over a whole generation" (William Golding).
Shrink
To withdraw or retire, as from danger; to decline action from fear; to recoil, as in fear, horror, or distress.
What happier natures shrink at with affright,The hard inhabitant contends is right.
They assisted us against the Thebans when you shrank from the task.
Stretch
The act of stretching or the state of being stretched.
Shrink
To express fear, horror, or pain by contracting the body, or part of it; to shudder; to quake.
Stretch
The extent or scope to which something can be stretched; elasticity.
Shrink
To cause to contract or shrink; as, to shrink finnel by imersing it in boiling water.
Stretch
A continuous or unbroken length, area, or expanse
An empty stretch of highway.
Shrink
To draw back; to withdraw.
The Libyc Hammon shrinks his horn.
Stretch
A straight section of a racecourse or track, especially the section leading to the finish line.
Shrink
The act shrinking; shrinkage; contraction; also, recoil; withdrawal.
Yet almost wish, with sudden shrink,That I had less to praise.
Stretch
A continuous period of time.
Shrink
A psychiatrist.
Stretch
(Slang) A term of imprisonment
Served a two-year stretch.
Shrink
A physician who specializes in psychiatry
Stretch
(Informal) The last stage of an event, period, or process.
Shrink
Wither, especially with a loss of moisture;
The fruit dried and shriveled
Stretch
(Baseball) A series of movements in which a pitcher, standing with the glove side facing home plate, raises both hands to the height of the head and then lowers them to the chest or waist for a short pause before pitching the ball. It is used especially when runners are on base because it gives base runners less time to steal than they have during a full windup.
Shrink
Draw back, as with fear or pain;
She flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf
Stretch
Made of an elastic material that stretches easily
Stretch pants.
Shrink
Reduce in size; reduce physically;
Hot water will shrink the sweater
Can you shrink this image?
Stretch
Of, relating to, or being a vehicle, such as a limousine or passenger jet, having an extended seating area that provides extra space for more passengers, leg room, or amenities.
Shrink
Become smaller or draw together;
The fabric shrank
The balloon shrank
Stretch
(transitive) To lengthen by pulling.
I stretched the rubber band until it almost broke.
Shrink
Decrease in size, range, or extent;
His earnings shrank
My courage shrivelled when I saw the task before me
Stretch
(intransitive) To lengthen when pulled.
The rubber band stretched almost to the breaking point.
Stretch
(transitive) To pull tight.
First, stretch the skin over the frame of the drum.
Stretch
To get more use than expected from a limited resource.
I managed to stretch my coffee supply a few more days.
Stretch
To make inaccurate by exaggeration.
To say crossing the street was brave is stretching the meaning of "brave" considerably.
To say he's been to this park a million times is stretching the numbers. The true number is around 30 or 40.
Stretch
(intransitive) To extend physically, especially from limit point to limit point.
The beach stretches from Cresswell to Amble.
Stretch
To extend one’s limbs or another part of the body in order to improve the elasticity of one's muscles
Cats stretch with equal ease and agility beyond the point that breaks a man on the rack.
I always stretch my muscles before exercising.
When the cat woke up, it yawned and stretched.
Stretch
(intransitive) To extend to a limit point
His mustache stretched all the way to his sideburns.
Stretch
(transitive) To increase.
Stretch
To stretch the truth; to exaggerate.
A man apt to stretch in his report of facts
Stretch
(nautical) To sail by the wind under press of canvas.
The ship stretched to the eastward.
Stretch
To execute by hanging.
Stretch
To make great demands on the capacity or resources of something.
Stretch
An act of stretching.
I was right in the middle of a stretch when the phone rang.
Stretch
The ability to lengthen when pulled.
That rubber band has quite a bit of stretch.
Stretch
A course of thought which diverts from straightforward logic, or requires extraordinary belief or exaggeration.
To say crossing the street was brave was quite a stretch.
Stretch
A segment of a journey or route.
It was an easy trip except for the last stretch, which took forever.
It's a tough stretch of road in the winter, especially without chains.
Stretch
A segment or length of material.
A stretch of cloth
Stretch
A walk.
Stretch
(baseball) A quick pitching delivery used when runners are on base where the pitcher slides his leg instead of lifting it.
Stretch
(baseball) A long reach in the direction of the ball with a foot remaining on the base by a first baseman in order to catch the ball sooner.
Stretch
(informal) Term of address for a tall person.
Stretch
(horse racing) The homestretch, the final straight section of the track leading to the finish.
Stretch
A length of time.
Stretch
(Ireland) Extended daylight hours, especially said of the evening in springtime when compared to the shorter winter days.
There is a grand stretch in the evenings.
Stretch
(sports) The period of the season between the trade deadline and the beginning of the playoffs.
Stretch
(slang) A jail or prison term.
He did a seven-year stretch in jail.
Stretch
A single uninterrupted sitting; a turn.
Stretch
A stretch limousine.
Stretch
To reach out; to extend; to put forth.
And stretch forth his neck long and small.
I in conquest stretched mine arm.
Stretch
To draw out to the full length; to cause to extend in a straight line; as, to stretch a cord or rope.
Stretch
To cause to extend in breadth; to spread; to expand; as, to stretch cloth; to stretch the wings.
Stretch
To make tense; to tighten; to distend forcibly.
The ox hath therefore stretched his yoke in vain.
Stretch
To draw or pull out to greater length; to strain; as, to stretch a tendon or muscle.
Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve.
Stretch
To exaggerate; to extend too far; as, to stretch the truth; to stretch one's credit.
They take up, one day, the most violent and stretched prerogative.
Stretch
To be extended; to be drawn out in length or in breadth, or both; to spread; to reach; as, the iron road stretches across the continent; the lake stretches over fifty square miles.
As far as stretcheth any ground.
Stretch
To extend or spread one's self, or one's limbs; as, the lazy man yawns and stretches.
Stretch
To be extended, or to bear extension, without breaking, as elastic or ductile substances.
The inner membrane . . . because it would stretch and yield, remained umbroken.
Stretch
To strain the truth; to exaggerate; as, a man apt to stretch in his report of facts.
Stretch
To sail by the wind under press of canvas; as, the ship stretched to the eastward.
Stretch
Act of stretching, or state of being stretched; reach; effort; struggle; strain; as, a stretch of the limbs; a stretch of the imagination.
By stretch of arms the distant shore to gain.
Those put a lawful authority upon the stretch, to the abuse of yower, under the color of prerogative.
Stretch
A continuous line or surface; a continuous space of time; as, grassy stretches of land.
A great stretch of cultivated country.
But all of them left me a week at a stretch.
Stretch
The extent to which anything may be stretched.
Quotations, in their utmost stretch, can signify no more than that Luther lay under severe agonies of mind.
This is the utmost stretch that nature can.
Stretch
The reach or extent of a vessel's progress on one tack; a tack or board.
Stretch
Course; direction; as, the stretch of seams of coal.
Stretch
A large and unbroken expanse or distance;
A stretch of highway
A stretch of clear water
Stretch
The act of physically reaching or thrusting out
Stretch
A straightaway section of a racetrack
Stretch
Exercise designed to extend the limbs and muscles to their full extent
Stretch
Extension to or beyond the ordinary limit;
Running at full stretch
By no stretch of the imagination
Beyond any stretch of his understanding
Stretch
An unbroken period of time during which you do something;
There were stretches of boredom
He did a stretch in the federal penitentiary
Stretch
The capacity for being stretched
Stretch
Occupy a large, elongated area;
The park stretched beneath the train line
Stretch
Extend one's limbs or muscles, or the entire body;
Stretch your legs!
Extend your right arm above your head
Stretch
Extend or stretch out to a greater or the full length;
Unfold the newspaper
Stretch out that piece of cloth
Extend the TV antenna
Stretch
Become longer by being stretched and pulled;
The fabric stretches
Stretch
Make long or longer by pulling and stretching;
Stretch the fabric
Stretch
Lie down comfortably;
To enjoy the picnic, we stretched out on the grass
Stretch
Pull in opposite directions;
During the Inquisition, the torturers would stretch their victims on a rack
Stretch
Extend the scope or meaning of; often unduly;
Stretch the limits
Stretch my patience
Stretch the imagination
Stretch
Corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones;
Adulterate liquor
Stretch
Increase in quantity or bulk by adding a cheaper substance;
Stretch the soup by adding some more cream
Extend the casserole with a little rice
Stretch
Extend one's body or limbs;
Let's stretch for a minute--we've been sitting here for over 3 hours
Stretch
Having an elongated seating area;
A stretch limousine
Stretch
Easily stretched;
Stretch hosiery
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Transmittance vs. TransmissivityNext Comparison
Caption vs. Quote