lengthen
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Synonym Usage
Lengthen, extend, stretch, prolong, protract agree in the idea of making longer. To lengthen is to make longer, either in a material or an immaterial sense: to lengthen a dress. To extend is to lengthen beyond some original point or so as to reach a certain point: to extend a railway line by a hundred miles. To stretch is primarily to lengthen by drawing or tension: to stretch a rubber band. Both prolong and protract mean especially to lengthen in time, and therefore apply to intangibles. To prolong is to continue beyond the desired, estimated, or allotted time: to prolong an interview. To protract is to draw out to undue length or to be slow in coming to a conclusion: to protract a discussion.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
lengthensimple
-
lengthenssimple
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have lengthenedperfect
-
has lengthenedperfect
-
am lengtheningprogressive
-
are lengtheningprogressive
-
is lengtheningprogressive
-
have been lengtheningperfect progressive
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has been lengtheningperfect progressive
Past
-
lengthenedsimple
-
had lengthenedperfect
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was lengtheningprogressive
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were lengtheningprogressive
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had been lengtheningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lengthen
Explanation
To lengthen is to make something longer, either physically or in time. During the spring and early summer, the days lengthen, as sundown comes later and later. Mascara lengthens your eyelashes, and letting out your hem lengthens your jeans. As time goes by, your years of experience lengthen, and if you don't cut your hair or trim your beard, those lengthen as well. Lengthen dates from the 14th century — earlier, the verb was length, from a Germanic root that's also the basis of "long."
Vocabulary lists containing lengthen
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:
Developers at a new New York luxury condo have leased its commercial space to a high-end longevity company that offers to lengthen the lives of its members.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
Airport security lines could lengthen as over 11% of TSA officers previously called out when unpaid, with some airports reaching 50%.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
The hole had been a source of controversy all week following the decision to lengthen it from 236 to 273 yards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2026
"We know that being able to lengthen internally is less painful and a better experience overall," Nick Peterson, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Alder Hey said.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
I thicken Astrid's nose hair, and lengthen it so it pokes from each nostril like the stubble on a man's chin.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
“As the delay lengthens, financing costs, integration risk, transaction expenses and lost strategic flexibility become increasingly tangible,” said Barak Orbach, a law and business professor at the University of Arizona.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The enzyme telomerase lengthens telomeres, helping protect chromosomes and preventing cells from dying.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 1, 2026
The transaction lengthens a list of Latin American divestments in recent years including Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica and Guatemala.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
Neser lengthens Australia's batting at number eight and has the experience of the Gabba being his home ground, but only Warne and McGrath have more wickets than Lyon in Brisbane.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025
The stem lengthens until the tip hits the platform, like a kite's tail.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Firetruck costs have more than doubled over the past decade and production delays have lengthened, with delivery times now stretching up to five years, Warren and Banks say in a statement accompanying the resolution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
AI has the ability to accelerate analysis and speed up work — but paradoxically, it’s lengthened the process of finding the right person for an open role in many cases.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
As necks lengthened over evolutionary time, the nerve was stretched rather than rerouted.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
Detention times have lengthened, and whereas before deported people might be able to return, now there is scant chance of reentering the U.S.’s hyper-militarized border.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
As the shadows lengthened, she became aware of her recklessness.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
That is driving up construction costs by lengthening the time it takes to complete jobs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The average monthly new-car payment reached a record $777 in the second quarter, with record levels of buyers lengthening their loan terms past six and seven years, recent data from Edmunds.com show.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 5, 2026
“Essentially, you’re just lengthening the ramp, which with international films really helps put these movies on the radar,” says a veteran awards consultant, who, because of potential client conflicts, asked to speak anonymously.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
According to the study, muscles can produce greater force during these lengthening movements while using less energy than they would during lifting, pulling, or climbing actions.
From Science Daily ● May 1, 2026
It began to roll and twist, lengthening and thinning, until it looked like a long black cord knotted at one end.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
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.
