protract
verb (used with object)
to draw out or lengthen, especially in time; extend the duration of; prolong.
had protracted
-
past perfectof protract.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
We’ve had protracted years of pesky little pettifogs.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 6, 2021
Somewhere near the middle of the word “grandkids”—which he had protracted into a lengthy and lavishly vowelled production—he began to cry.
From The New Yorker ● May 6, 2019
The storm had protracted the length of our voyage for several hours, and it was midnight when we landed at Cobourg.
From Roughing It in the Bush by Susanna Moodie
Baffling winds, various mishaps, and the calms usual at this time of the year had protracted the voyage, so seriously that the men had to be put on a two-thirds allowance of rations.
From In Clive's Command A Story of the Fight for India by Herbert Strang
That subsequently the consuls, pursuing the plans of Fabius, had protracted the war, whereas it was in their power to have put a period to it.
From The History of Rome, Books 09 to 26 by Titus Livius
