backstretch
Syllables: back·stretchUK/ˈbækstɹɛt͡ʃ/
backstretch noun: synonym of back straight (“straight part of a racetrack, running track, etc., opposite the finishing line”).
Noun
backstretch (plural backstretches)
- Synonym of back straight (“straight part of a racetrack, running track, etc., opposite the finishing line”).
- At the time appointed to start [2 1 2 P.M.], the horses made their appearance on the track, and were soon after called up by the judges for the race. They were startd at six minutes before three o'clock, the pacer having the pole, and leading round the first turn. On the backstretch he waited for...1853 November 26, “Ten Mile Race in Centreville, L.I.”, in Gleason’s Pictorial Drawing-room Companion, volume V, number 22 (number 126 from the start), Boston, Mass.: F[rederick] Gleason, corner of...
- This was a day almost fifty years since the time I was supposed to run in the 4 by 100-meter Olympic relay. I was standing on the track in the imposing, empty Olympic Stadium in Berlin. […] I walked down into the well of the vast, brooding stadium, and then along the backstretch of the red clay...1996, Marty Glickman, Stan Isaacs, “Prologue”, in The Fastest Kid on the Block: The Marty Glickman Story (Sports and Entertainment), Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, →ISBN, page 2
- Synonyms:
- back straight
- An area next to a racetrack used to stable the racehorses and house employees.
- Dominic Gatto liked to have someone at the track to represent him when one of his horses raced at Arlington Park or Belmont or Prescott Downs. Someone to relay a word to the jockey, keep a sharp eye on the trainer, distribute tips to the backstretch workers who were made to understand that Mr...1997, Cary Fagan, chapter 9, in Sleeping Weather, Erin, Ont.: The Porcupine's Quill, →ISBN, page 71
- When I was a kid here, growing up in the Palouse River, we never met people from other cultures or countries. There on the racetracks and backstretches in England I met people from all over the world. Everyone came together to own the horses, to work the horses and to watch them race.2012, Krista Michelle Breen, “Quicksand”, in Quicksand: The Mysterious Disappearance of Dakotaroo, 4th edition, Rockwood, Ont.: Groundskeeper's Cottage Press, →ISBN, page 130
- Synonyms:
- backside
- The middle part of an event.
- In some respects, it might be too faithful to the genre it savages; as in many real rom-coms, the energy flags during the plot’s backstretch, and audiences may share the drifting interest of Kyle (Bill Hader) and Karen (Ellie Kemper), who come to regret ever asking Joel and Molly to chronicle their...2014 June 26, A. A. Dowd, “Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler Spoof Rom-com Clichés in They Came Together”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 07 Dec 2017
- I'd decrypted his puzzle easily enough. He'd left it in Zykovski six-gen, a function he knew I could deconstruct, and the pages of slipbeacon data that unfolded had led me here: an abandoned energy plant on another mined-out rock somewhere in the cold backstretches of Imperial space.2012, Erica Hayes, Dragonfly, Sydney, N.S.W.: Pan Macmillan, →ISBN
- An exercise that stretches the muscles of the back.
- I went over to the other bed and lay down. My knees were hanging over the side of the bed, providing me with a fairly decent back stretch. With my eyes closed, I could hear sleep calling.2014, Tim O'Mara, Dead Red (Raymond Donne Mysteries; 3), New York, N.Y.: Minotaur Books, St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 264
- The upper backstretches require that you stand in position with your feet at a slight distance apart 'than shoulder-width, while the knees are bent slightly.' Intertwine the fingers and then 'push your hands as far away from' the chest area 'as feasible.'2017, “Live Longer and Stay Healthy while Feeling Younger”, in Fitness & Exercise: The Most Comprehensive Work-out Manual to Strengthen Your Body & Improve Your Health, [s.l.]: Ouvrage Collectif...
- The laying of a supply line from the region of the fire backwards toward the water source.
Verb
backstretch (third-person singular simple present backstretches, present participle backstretching, simple past and past participle backstretched)
- To lay a supply line from the region of the fire backwards toward the water source.
Synonyms of backstretch
Antonyms
Forms of backstretch
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | backstretches |
| alternative form | back stretch |
| alternative form | back-stretch |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | backstretches |
| present participle | backstretching |
| past participle | backstretched |
| past | backstretched |
Origin of backstretch
From back + stretch.
Questions about backstretch
- What does backstretch mean?
- Backstretch means synonym of back straight (“straight part of a racetrack, running track, etc., opposite the finishing line”).
- What part of speech is backstretch?
- Backstretch can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce backstretch?
- Backstretch is pronounced /ˈbækstɹɛt͡ʃ/ (UK).
- What is the plural of backstretch?
- The plural of backstretch is backstretches.
Words near backstretch in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: backstretch (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-backstretch.ogg.
Cite this entry: “backstretch.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/backstretch. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.