protract

verb

pro·​tract prō-ˈtrakt 

prə-

protracted; protracting; protracts

transitive verb

1

: to prolong in time or space : continue

2

: to extend forward or outward compare retract sense 1

3

archaic : delay, defer

protractive

prō-ˈtrak-tiv 

prə-

adjective

Synonyms

• drag (out)
• draw out
• elongate
• extend
• lengthen
• outstretch
• prolong
• stretch

Choose the Right Synonym for protract

extend, lengthen, prolong, protract mean to draw out or add to so as to increase in length.

extend and lengthen imply a drawing out in space or time but extend may also imply increase in width, scope, area, or range.

extend a vacation

extend welfare services

lengthen a skirt

lengthen the workweek

prolong suggests chiefly increase in duration especially beyond usual limits.

prolonged illness

protract adds to prolong implications of needlessness, vexation, or indefiniteness.

protracted litigation

Examples of protract in a Sentence

the highway project was protracted by years of litigation

Recent Examples on the Web

Rohl previously spent six months at St Mary’s in 2018-19 as Hasenhuttl’s assistant, but protracted talks with Sheffield Wednesday collapsed after a compensation package could not be agreed. —Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025

The parents who are left behind often face skepticism about the severity of these cases, which can sometimes take years of searching, the work of multiple law enforcement agencies and protracted legal battles to resolve. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2025

The more it is protracted the greater the risk of nuclear meltdowns at power plants or weapons usage (either through oceanic/terrestrial tests or in the war theater). —Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025

The deaths are at once spasmodically grisly—there will be bloody vomit—and agonizingly protracted. —Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin prōtractus, past participle of prōtrahere "to drag forward, draw or pull out, bring into the open, prolong, defer," from prō-, prefix denoting forward movement + trahere "to drag, draw, take along" — more at pro- entry 2, abstract entry 1

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for protract

• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contact
• contract
• detract
• distract
• enact
• exact
• extract
• hijacked
• impact

Kids Definition

protract

verb

pro·​tract prō-ˈtrakt 

: prolong

Medical Definition

protract

transitive verb

pro·​tract prō-ˈtrakt 

: to extend forward or outward

the mandible is protracted and retracted in chewing

compare retract