At a stretch


also, at one stretch . at one time, during one period. for example, working quickly, she hoped to finish all the drawings at a stretch . in contrast to the nearly synonymous at a sitting , this idiom, first recorded in 1774, does not imply being seated while engaging in a single continuous activity. rather, it transfers the meaning of stretch as “a continuous length” to “a continuous time period.”

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  • At a sitting

    at one time, during one period. for example, the cruise ship could feed about 500 p-ssengers at a sitting, or we read the entire poem at a sitting. since the word sitting implies just that posture, the term means “during a period when one is seated and engaged in a single continuous activity.”

  • At a word

    a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation, that functions as a princ-p-l carrier of meaning. words are composed of one or more morphemes and are either the smallest units susceptible of independent use or consist of two or three such units combined under certain linking conditions, as […]

  • At about

    at approximately, as in we’ll start at about nine. this phrase, most often used with respect to time (as at about four o’clock), is sometimes criticized for being redundant. although one of the two words sometimes can be omitted without changing the meaning—for example, about four o’clock is when most guests will arrive—in other instances […]

  • At all

    the whole of (used in referring to quant-ty, extent, or duration): all the cake; all the way; all year. the whole number of (used in referring to individuals or particulars, taken collectively): all students. the greatest possible (used in referring to quality or degree): with all due respect; with all speed. every: all kinds; all […]

  • At all costs

    the price paid to acquire, produce, accomplish, or maintain anything: the high cost of a good meal. an outlay or expenditure of money, time, labor, trouble, etc.: what will the cost be to me? a sacrifice, loss, or penalty: to work at the cost of one’s health. costs, law. money allowed to a successful party […]


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