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Elongate is often found in scientific writing, but the adjective elongated is more common, and frequently used to describe body parts in discussions of anatomy. This was even the case when the superhero Elongated Man made his appearance back in 1960. But some other characters with the same powers—Plastic Man, Elastic Lad, and Mr. Fantastic—ended up having longer careers.
Synonyms
Examples of elongate in a Sentence
Tim Ellis, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
It’s designed to provide a seamless transition between breastfeeding and sucking on a pacifier, so the nipple shape is more elongated and the mouth shield is wide and domed.
—Sarah Bradley, Parents, 1 Mar. 2024
Continuous Fed rate cuts are expected to elongate the expansion cycle, which is entering its twelfth year.
—Robert Daugherty, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
The trousers' high waist and streamlined pleats nip you in while effortlessly elongating your legs.
—Wendy Vazquez, Southern Living, 23 Feb. 2024
Saint Maud’s protagonist was a spindly, religious health aide who imagined her body elongating and stretching in gory, supernatural ways.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024
An extraordinary heat wave collided with El Niño, which often coincides with greater dispersion of dengue, leading to wider proliferation of the A. aegypti mosquito and elongating its life span.
—Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024
The formula is infused with bamboo extract and fibers that more prominently define and elongate each lash from root to tip.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2024
The color palette is mostly dark neutral, punctuated by colorful hats in aubergine or turquoise that elongate the form.
—Colleen Barry, Quartz, 22 Feb. 2024
Charlie Teasdale, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
The fragment, which was cleaved from its fecal parent with a pair of wire cutters, resembles a chunk of light-colored concrete with darker, elongate inclusions that Chin recognizes as bone.
—Karen Wright, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
The elongate white flower clusters (occasionally pale pink) support pollinators, and inky-black berries ripen by late summer or autumn.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 21 July 2023
This can help keep walls clear and elongate high ceilings, as exemplified in this kitchen designed by Andrea Pietragallo of Britt Design Studio.
—Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, 30 Mar. 2023
The small lake sits in the slightly elongate rift area where the eruption occurred.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 24 June 2011
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'elongate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Verb
Late Latin elongatus, past participle of elongare to withdraw, from Latin e- + longus
Verb
1578, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Adjective
1751, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near elongate
Cite this Entry
“Elongate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elongate. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
elongate
1 of 2 verb
elongate
2 of 2 adjective
Medical Definition
elongate
1 of 2 verb
elongate
2 of 2 adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on elongate
Nglish: Translation of elongate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of elongate for Arabic Speakers
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