Entry Word: extend

Function: verb

Meaning: 1 to make longer <our guests from out of town extended their visit by a week>

Synonyms draw out, elongate, lengthen, prolong, protract, stretch

Related Words amplify, enlarge, expand, increase; attenuate, thin

Near Antonyms decrease, diminish, lessen, reduce; thicken

Antonyms abbreviate, abridge, curtail, cut, cut back, shorten

2 to put before another for acceptance or consideration <the couple extended an invitation to join them for a get-together at their house after the concert> — see offer 1
3 to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area <you can extend that chaise lounge so that it lies completely flat> — see open 3
4 to be positioned along a certain course or in a certain direction <our backyard extends all the way to that brook> — see run 3
5 to make greater in size, amount, or number <embarked on a series of wars intended to extend his empire> — see increase 1