Ausstrecken

Ausstrecken is a German verb meaning to stretch out or extend a part of the body, or to extend something non-physical such as reach or distance. It is a separable-prefix verb, so in the present tense the prefix is separated from the verb and placed at the end of the clause. For example: Ich strecke die Arme aus, Du streckst die Beine aus, Er streckt die Hand aus.

The reflexive form sich ausstrecken means to stretch oneself, often after waking or resting. Examples: Ich strecke mich aus. Wir strecken uns aus, bevor wir laufen. The past participle is ausgestreckt, used with the auxiliary haben: Ich habe die Arme ausgestreckt; Er hat sich ausgestreckt.

Usage notes and variants: Ausstrecken can apply to physical actions (extending limbs, reaching forward) as well as metaphorically, such as extending one’s reach or resources in a non-physical sense, though the latter is less common and often described with other verbs. In everyday speech, the verb is most frequently encountered in contexts involving the body or acts of reaching.

Etymology and related forms: The word combines aus- (out, outward) with strecken (to stretch). It is related to the verb strecken, which means to stretch or extend, with aus- adding the sense of outward extension. The participle form ausgestreckt follows the standard pattern for verbs with the prefix aus-.

See also: strecken, ausziehen, sich dehnen. Translation equivalents include “to stretch out,” “to extend,” and “to reach out.”