protracting

verb

present participle of protract
as in lengthening
to make longer the highway project was protracted by years of litigation

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for protracting
  1. lengthening
  2. extending
  3. prolonging
  4. stretching
  5. increasing
Verb
  • Cryptographers responded by lengthening the keys, and 2,048 bits is now considered the minimum.
    — Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The Lorenzo can be worn two ways, with or without a fine leather strap threaded through the gold Eye of the Needle, which can be buckled across the foot to create a leg-lengthening effect.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of lengthening
Verb
  • Dimitris Ampatzidis, maritime risk and compliance manager at Kpler, said the attacks underscored Iran's continuing ability to threaten commercial vessels, with the risks extending beyond oil and gas transportation.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For most of my career, accelerating a road map usually meant adding people, extending timelines or reducing scope.
    — Luis Aburto, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of extending
Verb
  • Trump initially promised to end it in weeks, and Democrats, including Newsom, have criticized him for prolonging the conflict.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Milk contains protein and carbohydrates, which slow digestion, prolonging the presence of water in the body.
    — Veronica Cristino, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of prolonging
Verb
  • Erected on a hillside in 1938, Fallingwater appeared as a matrix of rectangles with low and flat horizontal lines stretching across the planes of the house.
    — Wendy S. Walters, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Blue crabs and crawfish are sourced from Louisiana, while shellfish such as oysters, Manila clams and cherrystone clams arrive from waters stretching from the East Coast to Asia.
    — Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of stretching
Verb
  • This increasing self-reliance has an extra benefit in the midst of a grueling war.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Despite this, national reports indicate continued use of performance- and appearance-enhancing drugs, and increasing interest in them.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of increasing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

protracted
protracting
protraction
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Cite this Entry

“Protracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protracting. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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