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extender

American  
[ik-sten-der] / ɪkˈstɛn dər /

noun

  • extenders
    plural
  1. a substance added to another substance, as to paint or food, to increase its volume or bulk.

    to add cereal and soy protein to hamburger as extenders.

  2. Photography. converter8


extender British  
/ ɪkˈstɛndə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that extends

  2. a substance, such as French chalk or china clay, added to paints to give them body and decrease their rate of settlement

  3. a substance added to glues and resins to dilute them or to modify their viscosity

  4. a substance added to elastomers to assist the plasticizer

  5. printing the part of certain lower-case letters that extends either above (the ascender) or below (the descender) the body of the letter

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of extender

First recorded in 1605–15; extend + -er 1

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:

The all-terrain buggy she uses to herd cattle is fitted with an internet extender, enabling her to message friends on Snapchat while working.

From BBC Dec. 10, 2025

A precision router — the electric power tool, not the Wi-Fi internet extender — traced the vertical cracks, smoothing and leveling hairline breaks in the wood.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 18, 2024

Gemini marries LFP cells similar to those used in the Aries pack with higher-energy cells that act as a range extender as charge is depleted.

From Reuters Aug. 15, 2023

Would it solve issues that might be caused by blockages in floors and walls between the current router and the extender?

From Seattle Times Oct. 1, 2022

Golly sits up and pushes the leg extender down.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

Plug-in hybrids and cars with range extenders -- in which a small combustion engine can charge the battery -- are covered by a basic subsidy of 1,500 euros.

From Barron's Jan. 19, 2026

The change would mean plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, range extenders and internal combustion engines can still be sold in the EU after 2035, in addition to fully electric and hydrogen vehicles, it said.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 16, 2025

The idea of mashing up a smart speaker and a WiFi range booster isn’t exactly novel; Google’s Nest WiFi extenders have built-in speakers and microphones for Google Assistant.

From Washington Post Sep. 28, 2022

Flight attendants restrained him further with seatbelt extenders because he continued to unbuckle his seatbelt, according to prosecutors.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 22, 2022

He started to work, furiously tinkering with the sphere, pulling out anything he thought would help from his magic tool belt: a drop cloth, metal extenders, some string and grommets.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

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