protract

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb protract contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of protract are extend, lengthen, and prolong. While all these words mean "to draw out or add to so as to increase in length," protract adds to prolong implications of needlessness, vexation, or indefiniteness.

protracted litigation

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

Both 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

Where would prolong be a reasonable alternative to protract?

In some situations, the words prolong and protract are roughly equivalent. However, prolong suggests chiefly increase in duration especially beyond usual limits.

prolonged illness

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 protract Zombies are what happen when a juvenile life stage is unnaturally protracted. Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025 Today’s deal closure brings to an end the longest, most protracted, and hectic example of M&A activity in recent Hollywood memory. Brian Welk, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025 However, as suggested here, some impacts may be no less harmful or protracted. New Atlas, 6 Aug. 2025 Netanyahu, who is set to meet the US president on Monday, faces a critical decision at the crossroads of two very different conflicts: one precise and short, the other brutal and protracted. Dana Karni, CNN Money, 1 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for protract
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protract
Verb
  • Like any tubing mascara, Badi Lash wraps lashes in flexible, smudge-proof polymers that darken and lengthen them.
    Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Earlier this year, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund proposed switching to semiannual reporting, reasoning that lengthening the time frame would allow companies to focus on the longer term.
    Jeff Cox, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Republican lawmakers are upping the pressure on GOP leaders to extend enhanced health insurance subsidies set to expire at year’s end for those with Affordable Care Act coverage, bolstering similar demands from Democrats as part of government funding talks.
    Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The two countries last month agreed to extend the trade truce by another 90 days, to mid-November.
    Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • This is a mismatch that risks prolonging underemployment for degree holders and even affecting earnings trajectories, graduate debt repayment and workforce planning across industries.
    Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
  • This will help prolong the life of your linoleum floors.
    Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Start with once daily, and if your skin can handle it, gradually increase to two or three times per week.
    Lily Wohlner, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
  • When a La Niña phase occurs, less wind shear occurs in the regions of the Atlantic basin where tropical weather develops, increasing the potential for more storms, AccuWeather said.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Attempts to formalize English at the federal level stretch back decades.
    Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • In addition to policing the two demonstrations, the London force was stretched by high-profile soccer matches and concerts.
    Vitalii Yalahuzian, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Protract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protract. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on protract

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