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

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• extenders
  plural

Etymology

Origin of extender

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

extender extenders

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

Find a duster extender or ladder to make sure you can reach the ceiling and the tops of cabinets and refrigerators.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2025

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

We have an extender in the living room on the main floor right next to the TV.

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

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

Don’t hold up boarding because you have your extenders open till they are bursting and you can’t figure out how to make your bag fit in the overhead.

From New York Times ● Jul. 8, 2022

He had all sorts of attachments connected to his body—a helicopter that came out of his hat, robot arm extenders, and bouncy springs in his legs that made him really tall really fast.

From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge