elongate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
adjective
-
extended; lengthened.
-
long and thin.
verb
adjective
-
long and narrow; slender
elongate leaves
-
lengthened or tapered
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
elongatesimple
-
elongatessimple
-
have elongatedperfect
-
has elongatedperfect
-
am elongatingprogressive
-
are elongatingprogressive
-
is elongatingprogressive
-
have been elongatingperfect progressive
-
has been elongatingperfect progressive
Past
-
elongatedsimple
-
had elongatedperfect
-
was elongatingprogressive
-
were elongatingprogressive
-
had been elongatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of elongate
1530–40; < Late Latin ēlongātus lengthened out, past participle of ēlongāre to make longer, make distant, remove, equivalent to Latin ē- e- 1 + -longāre, derivative of longus long 1, longē far off
Explanation
When you lengthen or extend something, you elongate it. A yoga teacher might encourage you to reach up as high as you can, so that you elongate your spine. The verb elongate means "to make long or longer," and it stems from the Late Latin elongare, "to extend or prolong." When you stretch something out, especially when it's longer than it is wide, you can say you elongate it. This word can also apply to non-tangible things: Your principal might elongate the semester if you have too many snow days, and you might elongate your vowels when speaking a foreign language. In science, it's also used as an adjective, for long, narrow creatives like elongate fish (otherwise known as eels).
Vocabulary lists containing elongate
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
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Hide and Seeker
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Women in Space
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In his view, price resets don’t indicate the end of the cycle, but rather a necessity to elongate the boom.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
Language’s capacity to elongate the self in time burdened us with anxiety and regret.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
“I wish that these big organizations were looking into these things differently, because you could elongate careers and elongate lives,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2025
The tweak helped a sharper Swiatek elongate the rallies and put more pressure on Sabalenka's serve, with the Pole winning the next three games to move 5-4 ahead.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2025
They elongate on the pale slender stalks of their longing, like sunflowers with heavy heads.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
In males, it grows from a small cluster of cells into a little white pimple that elongates between the eyes.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2025
The exquisite chamber-soul arrangement thrums inexorably yet with zero hurry; the vocal precisely elongates each phrase just a tick or two beyond where you expect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2025
So it elongates, causing the light rays to fall in front of the retina and the myopia to progress.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2023
In his time at Canuck Place, Dr. Siden said, the facility’s focus has expanded, alongside palliative care, to include more symptom management for long-term illnesses — treatment that doesn’t cure young patients but elongates survival.
From New York Times ● Feb. 17, 2023
And someone’s mouth elongates heavy, silent words through the barrier of glass.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
And AI is forcing us all to ponder: What are we supposed to do with our elongated lives if technology wipes out the jobs that once gave us purpose?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
So if you want a window moved or the bathroom expanded or the roof over the porch elongated, that change order would cost you about $2,000, on average.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Kelce popped the question with an elongated old mine cut cushion set within an engraved gold band.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
“While obviously semis have run up substantially, we believe that this will be an elongated cycle and many areas are just getting started,” says Christopher Shaffer, managing partner at Talaria Capital Management.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
His mouth grew tusks and his nose elongated.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
“The drivers of HDD demand are broadening, visibility is elongating, pricing is strengthening, and our new bull cases are coming closer into play,” Woodring wrote.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
Traditionally, skiers negotiate the steepest terrain of a course by feathering their skis at a slight diagonal and elongating their stride to help them conserve energy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026
It felt wonderful, as if my spine were elongating, all the stress draining from my back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2025
At the BJK Cup in Malaga, Raducanu spoke about tweaking her service motion and elongating the takeback in a search for extra power.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2025
He began to change, his nose elongating into a snout, his skin becoming sleek and gray.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
