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
The Preakness might be a better distance for Mystik Dan, who almost surrendered the lead in the stretch at Churchill Downs.
—
John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2024
Kicking off on May 22, the stretch of shows will feature special guests All Time Low and Simple Plan.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2024
Gilgeous-Alexander assisted on two of the Thunder’s four 3-pointers during the run, then added the exclamation point on the stretch by sinking a 3-pointer from the top of the key to send the home crowd into a frenzy.
—Staff and Wire Report, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 May 2024
Sierra Leone lugged in and bumped Forever Young three times in the stretch, but jockey Ryusei Sakai didn't claim foul.
— Alex Sundby contributed reporting.
—CBS News, 4 May 2024
As a record crowd cheered, American Pharoah rallied from behind and took aim at his remaining two rivals in the stretch.
—Beth Harris, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2024
No, this scene is not seen from down the stretch at Churchill Downs, but hanging from above at The B.A. Colonial.
—Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 3 May 2024
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
John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2024
Kicking off on May 22, the stretch of shows will feature special guests All Time Low and Simple Plan.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2024
Gilgeous-Alexander assisted on two of the Thunder’s four 3-pointers during the run, then added the exclamation point on the stretch by sinking a 3-pointer from the top of the key to send the home crowd into a frenzy.
—Staff and Wire Report, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 May 2024
Sierra Leone lugged in and bumped Forever Young three times in the stretch, but jockey Ryusei Sakai didn't claim foul.
— Alex Sundby contributed reporting.
—CBS News, 4 May 2024
As a record crowd cheered, American Pharoah rallied from behind and took aim at his remaining two rivals in the stretch.
—Beth Harris, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2024
No, this scene is not seen from down the stretch at Churchill Downs, but hanging from above at The B.A. Colonial.
—Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 3 May 2024
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
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 15 May. 2024.
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