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as in to expand
to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area you can extend that chaise longue so that it lies completely flat

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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as in to lead
to be positioned along a certain course or in a certain direction our backyard extends all the way to that brook

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb extend contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of extend are lengthen, prolong, and protract. While all these words 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

When would prolong be a good substitute for extend?

The words prolong and extend can be used in similar contexts, but prolong suggests chiefly increase in duration especially beyond usual limits.

prolonged illness

How do protract and prolong relate to one another, in the sense of extend?

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

protracted litigation

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of extend Next up for the Heat are two must-win games to extend its season. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2025 The toll of the epidemic extended far beyond individual loss. Jonathan Ellen, National Review, 13 Apr. 2025 Blessed with a smart sense of dynamics — musical, theatrical, emotional — that extends kind of across the board? Chris Willman, Variety, 12 Apr. 2025 Work starts at Enterprise Street, north of Summit Street, and extends to Page Avenue. Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for extend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extend
Verb
  • Moreover, working the long head emphasizes the eccentric portion of a move—the part when the muscle is lengthening under load—which is a more effective way to improve strength, power, and speed performance compared to traditional resistance training, according to research.
    Jenny McCoy, SELF, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Chronic pessimism damages your attitude and your telomeres—the protective tips at the end of chromosomes, shortened by negative thoughts and lengthened by positive thoughts.
    Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • All offers end April 30 (each can only be used once and offers do not stack).
    Mike Snider, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Brentford offered lots of options for this exercise and Keane Lewis-Potter solved some problems at left-back.
    Adam Crafton, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • For 2024, the list was expanded to 450 companies and looked at their emissions between 2020 and 2022.
    Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Believed to have originated in 15th-century Italy as a card game used by nobility, the original deck was expanded and popularized by 18th-century French occultists; and again later in the 20th century, when modern tarot was born thanks to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, published in 1909.
    Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Kendrick Lamar leads the pack with 10 total nominations in eight categories.
    Bryan West, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
  • The health secretary also hired David Geier, a figure previously criticized for treating autistic children with puberty-blocking drugs, to lead a federal study on the causes of autism.
    Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Tesla has increased North American sourcing for parts of many models over the last two years, which would decrease tariff exposure for the E41, two people aware of the matter said.
    Abhirup Roy, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Those unused hours can, however, be converted to service credit to increase their government pensions.
    Melody Gutierrez, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The plain and active meaning of the word cannot be diluted by its constriction, as the government would have it, to a narrow term of art.
    TIME Staff, Time, 18 Apr. 2025
  • This approach dilutes your unique value proposition and distracts from your primary purpose.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The Fed chief said Wednesday the central bank can be patient while assessing data on inflation and employment, which are its dual mandates, while anxious consumers and businesses eye potentially prolonged economic instability.
    Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Several of Ukraine's allies had said in individual statements that the strikes showed Russia was prolonging the war.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Despite that, a growing number of companies do so voluntarily because the information gives them a leg up in the business world.
    Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • McIntyre, though upset over his lack of presence in the world title picture, wanted fans to give his feud with a Priest a chance before writing it off.
    Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Extend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extend. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

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