elongate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
adjective
-
extended; lengthened.
-
long and thin.
verb
adjective
-
long and narrow; slender
elongate leaves
-
lengthened or tapered
Other Word Forms
- elongative adjective
- subelongate adjective
- subelongated adjective
- unelongated adjective
Etymology
Origin of elongate
1530–40; < Late Latin ēlongātus lengthened out, past participle of ēlongāre to make longer, make distant, remove, equivalent to Latin ē- e- 1 + -longāre, derivative of longus long 1, longē far off
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.
Time indoors looking at screens can cause eyeballs to elongate, leaving kids nearsighted for life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025
“I wish that these big organizations were looking into these things differently, because you could elongate careers and elongate lives,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2025
The tweak helped a sharper Swiatek elongate the rallies and put more pressure on Sabalenka's serve, with the Pole winning the next three games to move 5-4 ahead.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2025
Yes, according to Osaka Metropolitan University researchers, who found that suppression of Pcdh8 is essential for the notochord to elongate properly in zebrafish.
From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2024
They seemed able to elongate as much as they wanted.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
