Dictionary — ontologydriven

stretch the envelope en · VERB

Synonym of push the envelope.
- Throughout the 1980s, advanced latex special effects processes allowed directors like David Cronenberg, Brian Yuzna, and Clive Barker to stretch the envelope of onscreen surrealism with a previously impossible ease. 2006, Henry Jenkins, The Wow Climax: Tracing the Emotional Impact of Popular Culture:
- NPD programs that stretch the envelope are fraught with questions and unknowns. However, the NPD process includes mechanisms for converting unknowns and issues into reliable information and data, and resolvable situations. 2008, David L. Rainey, Product Innovation, page 534:
- We gratefully acknowledge the contributors whose courage and commitment to a multicultural education not only bring hope and possibility to the multicultural terrain but continue to stretch the envelope of praxis in that terrain. 1998, Rudolfo Chavez Chavez, James O'Donnell, Speaking the Unpleasant:
- In a private physician's office, doctors stretch the envelope (although this can become a concern to the state medical board, since that is the only oversight). 2006, Michael H. Cohen, Mary Ruggie, Marc S. Micozzi, The Practice of Integrative Medicine, page 75:

Spelling	Features	Source
stretched the envelope	Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part	lexicographic
stretched the envelope	Tense=Past	lexicographic
stretches the envelope	Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres	lexicographic
stretching the envelope	Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part	lexicographic