lengthen
Americanverb (used with object)
-
lengthens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lengthened,
past participle, past
-
lengthening
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
lengthens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lengthened,
past participle, past
-
lengthening
present participle
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
-
have lengthenedperfect
-
has lengthenedperfect
-
am lengtheningprogressive
-
are lengtheningprogressive
-
is lengtheningprogressive
-
have been lengtheningperfect progressive
-
has been lengtheningperfect progressive
Past
-
lengthenedsimple
-
had lengthenedperfect
-
was lengtheningprogressive
-
were lengtheningprogressive
-
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:
But with 34 candidates and a ballot paper that is nearly a metre long, it is expected to lengthen the time that takes compared to most parliamentary election counts.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
El Niño also is expected to lengthen the marine heat wave off portions of the coast, which is not yet being influenced by the climate pattern.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Scientists have long known that reducing calorie intake can lengthen lifespan in many organisms and lower the risk of age-related illnesses such as cancer.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026
Hostess had worked, before the Smucker acquisition, to lengthen that shelf life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
She had bought a turtle for my grandfather because it would lengthen his life.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
Catalysts for a recovery that lengthens into the back half of the year, however, will be complicated by the ongoing rise in oil and other energy prices, and higher inflation coupled with slower-than-expected economic growth.
From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 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
Each new delay in shipping the aircraft lengthens the time it will take Boeing to recoup its investments in the long-delayed 777X program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025
If you drop your phone on a pillow, the pillow will compress beneath the phone, which lengthens the impact time.
From Slate ● Jan. 11, 2024
They run together, but at the end, the other girl finishes more strongly Her stride lengthens, and a man keeps yelling, “Go, Annie! Go, Annie! Dig ’em in, love!
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
The survey also showed that delivery times lengthened substantially while inventories declined.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 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
But Schulte told the BBC's World at One programme that individual governments had to make the decision to suspend the system, not airports themselves, adding that queues lengthened while such decisions were being made.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Gradually the black mass had lengthened and thickened, so that it kept at last to its braided pattern, and I didn’t have to yank my scalp off when I tried to comb it.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
The odds were stacked against Coleman and his players, lengthening further when Radja Nainggolan's thunderous long-range strike gave Belgium an early lead.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Longevity is creating new investment opportunities while also lengthening the planning horizon for individuals and families.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
That is driving up construction costs by lengthening the time it takes to complete jobs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 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
He bares his lengthening canines in a grin.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
