elon·gate
i-ˈlȯŋ-ˌgāt 
(ˌ)ē-,
ˈē-ˌlȯŋ-
elongated; elongating
: to extend the length of
: to grow in length
elongate
2 of 2variant of elongate entry 1
Did you know?
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.
Examples of elongate in a Sentence
Verb
These stretching exercises can help elongate your leg muscles.
New medical procedures have elongated the careers of many athletes.
the giraffe's elongate neck is thought to be the result of natural selection
Recent Examples on the Web
Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Artwork of Roger Moore’s A View To A Kill appeared to have elongated the actor’s arms so his gun was out of shot.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Guayabero River knifefish have skinny, elongated bodies reaching just over 7 inches in length, the study said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Instead, when paternal telomeres were long and maternal telomeres were short, the embryo’s telomere elongated rapidly.
—New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elongate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
The zip-up collar gives it a preppy-casual vibe that can be zipped down and layered with a necklace, or zipped up with leg-elongating flare jeans and sneakers.
—Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Artwork of Roger Moore’s A View To A Kill appeared to have elongated the actor’s arms so his gun was out of shot.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Guayabero River knifefish have skinny, elongated bodies reaching just over 7 inches in length, the study said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Instead, when paternal telomeres were long and maternal telomeres were short, the embryo’s telomere elongated rapidly.
—New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elongate
Cite this Entry
“Elongate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elongate. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
elongate
1 of 2 verb
elon·gate
i-ˈlȯŋ-ˌgāt
elongated; elongating
: to make or grow longer
elongation
noun
(ˌ)ē-ˌlȯŋ-ˈgā-shən
elongate
2 of 2 adjective
variants
or elongated
i-ˈlȯŋ-ˌgāt-əd
: stretched out
especially
: being much greater in length than in width
Medical Definition
elongate
1 of 2 verb
elon·gate
i-ˈlȯŋ-ˌgāt
elongated; elongating
: to extend the length of
: to grow in length
elongate
2 of 2 adjective
variants
or elongated
: long in proportion to width
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share