as in to extend
to make longer I had to lengthen the handle of the paint roller in order to reach the top of the wall

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb lengthen contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of lengthen are extend, prolong, and protract. While all these words mean "to draw out or add to so as to increase in length," extend and lengthen imply a drawing out in space or time but extend may also imply increase in width, scope, area, or range.

extend a vacation
extend welfare services
lengthen a skirt
lengthen the workweek

When might prolong be a better fit than lengthen?

While the synonyms prolong and lengthen are close in meaning, prolong suggests chiefly increase in duration especially beyond usual limits.

prolonged illness

How are the words protract and prolong related as synonyms of lengthen?

Protract adds to prolong implications of needlessness, vexation, or indefiniteness.

protracted litigation

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of lengthen Anne Hathaway's sandals will win over heel lovers—and anyone who wants to visually lengthen their legs. María Munsuri, Glamour, 26 Apr. 2025 Many drug users may not be aware of its presence, but it's known to lengthen the high of traditional short-acting opioids like fentanyl and cause overdoses. Meira Gebel, Axios, 8 Apr. 2025 For instance, ragweed pollen season in North America has lengthened since 1995. Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 7 Apr. 2025 Bracamontes said her daughter still can't feel or move her right foot and needs three more operations: one to relieve nerve pain, and two to try to restore mobility in her foot by lengthening her Achilles tendon and transferring a tendon in her left leg into her right. Jordan Rau, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lengthen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lengthen
Verb
  • Getting that confirmation extends Joel and Ellie’s conversation from a roughly four-and-a-half-minute cutscene to almost an eight-minute scene in the HBO series.
    Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 20 May 2025
  • Often complete with a heel that signified status, the riding-style leather boots could be extended fully, reaching the upper thighs, or folded down into cuffs.
    Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • The leader's office added that an unconditional ceasefire means that no conditions are attached, and any attempt to impose conditions indicates an intention to prolong the war and undermine diplomacy.
    Isabel van Brugen, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
  • Their major failures included prolonging the Vietnam War and coddling bloodthirsty Latin American dictators.
    Frank McNeil, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2025
Verb
  • Autism rates increased, again: But RFK Jr. diverges from CDC report about the reason.
    Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, 15 May 2025
  • Under the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA), the filing threshold was increased to $11,580,000 in 2020, and $11,700,000 in 2021 and is adjusted for inflation thereafter through 2025.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
Verb
  • First identified in the 1970s by NASA's Viking mission, long, dark markings snake down Martian slopes, sometimes stretching across Mars' surface for hundreds of feet.
    Victoria Corless, Space.com, 19 May 2025
  • The National Weather Service issued heat advisories for areas in Texas that stretch from the Texas Hill Country and the Rio Grande to the state's east coast.
    Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 19 May 2025
Verb
  • Your chest should be out—not in slouched form—and your neck should be elongated and open, with palms open and visible.
    Angela Haupt, Time, 14 May 2025
  • There are now 25 rooms, slightly up from the original 21, elongated, expanded and angled so that there is a complete view of the ocean and total privacy from neighboring rooms since all are laid out on a string extending from the main building.
    Laurie Werner, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lengthen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lengthen. Accessed 25 May. 2025.

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