verb
emporstrecken
stretch up
Definition & meaning
emporstrecken means to stretch, extend, or raise something upward. It is commonly used for body parts, especially arms, hands, or fingers, and can also describe plants or branches reaching upward.
Examples:
- die Arme emporstrecken — to raise or stretch one’s arms upward
- Die Pflanze streckt ihre Blätter empor. — The plant stretches its leaves upward.
- Er streckte beide Hände empor. — He raised both hands.
The verb can also be used reflexively:
- sich emporstrecken — to stretch oneself upward or rise up
Grammar & Word origin
emporstrecken is a weak, separable verb.
- Infinitive: emporstrecken
- Present tense: er streckt empor
- Simple past: er streckte empor
- Past participle: emporstreckt
- With zu: emporzustrecken
It is formed from:
The prefix empor- emphasizes upward movement or direction. The word is related to the idea of physically extending something toward a higher point.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- hochstrecken — to stretch or hold up high; very close in meaning, often used for arms or hands
- nach oben strecken — to stretch upward; a more descriptive and neutral expression
- recken — to stretch or extend, often with an emphasis on making something long or reaching out; it does not always imply an upward direction
- aufrichten — to straighten or raise something; it focuses more on moving from a bent position to an upright one
Antonyms
- senken — to lower something; the clearest general opposite when an object is moved downward
- herunternehmen — to bring something down, especially from a raised position
- herabstrecken — to stretch or extend downward; less common than senken
Common phrases & collocations
- die Arme emporstrecken — to raise one’s arms
- die Hände emporstrecken — to hold one’s hands up
- die Finger emporstrecken — to extend one’s fingers upward
- sich emporstrecken — to stretch oneself upward
- zum Himmel emporstrecken — to stretch up toward the sky, often used poetically for trees, towers, or raised arms
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Examples
Alle können ihre Arme emporstrecken.verb
Everyone can stretch up their arms.
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