lengthenlength‧en /ˈleŋθən/ verb [intransitive, transitive] 
Verb Table Examples
Can you lengthen this skirt for me? The days lengthened as summer approached.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say that something gets longer rather than lengthens:· The days began to get longer.
Verb TableVERB TABLE
lengthen
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | lengthen |
| he, she, it | lengthens | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | lengthened |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have lengthened |
| he, she, it | has lengthened | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had lengthened |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will lengthen |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have lengthened |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am lengthening |
| he, she, it | is lengthening | |
| you, we, they | are lengthening | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was lengthening |
| you, we, they | were lengthening | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been lengthening |
| he, she, it | has been lengthening | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been lengthening |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be lengthening |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been lengthening |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- As afternoon drew on and the shadows lengthened, her fears increased.
- Can you lengthen these pants for me?
- He smiled and the creases at the corners of his eyes lengthened.
- He wore blue jeans, which had been lengthened with strips of denim.
- Shadows began to lengthen as the sun sank in the sky.
- The crack seemed to open wider and lengthen before her eyes.
- This particular operation involves lengthening the Achilles tendon.
- Again, you can lengthen or shorten the story by including or excluding the various parts, which are mostly self-contained.
- Because the muscles are being lengthened, you may experience pain in them.
- But as the separation from her husband lengthened, she found herself becoming increasingly despondent.
- Plans to lengthen military service from 15 to 18 months will also be scrapped if the talks succeed.
- The more lives lengthen, it seems certain, the more change happens.
- The only solution for this is to use a soldering iron to lengthen them!
- There was plenty of room on the course and it was relatively easy to lengthen it enough to test the professionals.
- We find out that days are lengthening, why April has fools and how to slow time to a stop.
THESAURUS► prolong
Collocations to make something last longer: · The issue divided the country and prolonged the civil war.· Successful treatment is prolonging people's lives.· No one wants to prolong the violence.· This would only prolong the unhappiness she felt.
► lengthen to make something last longer than the usual time: · They suggested lengthening the training period for new teachers.· New security measures have lengthened the time passengers spend in airports.
► extend to make something that is coming to an end continue for a longer period of time – used especially about official arrangements such as contracts and visas: · They agreed to extend his contract by a year.· The offer has been extended for a further fourteen days.· I applied to extend my visa.
► drag something out to make a situation or event last longer than necessary: · I wish they'd make a decision and not keep dragging it out.· Each side accused the other of dragging out the negotiations.
Longman Language Activatorto become longer► get longer · You've lost weight, and your hair's got longer.· The traffic tailback seems to be getting longer, not shorter!get longer and longer (=become continuously longer) · The Internet may be booming, but the list of failed dotcom companies is getting longer and longer.· These forms seem to get longer and longer.
► lengthen to gradually become longer: · As afternoon drew on and the shadows lengthened, her fears increased.· The crack seemed to open wider and lengthen before her eyes.· He smiled and the creases at the corners of his eyes lengthened.
► stretch if a piece of string, elastic, cloth etc stretches , it gets longer, especially because it is being pulled: · Uncle John pulled hard on the bell-rope, which stretched and then broke.· elasticated straps designed to stretch easily
to make something longer► make something longer · The sleeves on this jacket are too short; do you think you could make them just a little longer?· Mr Watson said my essay was OK, but maybe I should have made it longer.· If you want to make the story longer, embellish it and ask your child questions about the characters.
► lengthen to make something longer especially in order to make it more suitable or useful: · He wore blue jeans, which had been lengthened with strips of denim.· This particular operation involves lengthening the Achilles tendon.
► extend to make something such as a line, road, or passage longer so that it reaches further: · Miners have extended the tunnel in order to get a new supply of coal.extend something to something: · They will extend the subway from central Buffalo to the smaller towns around the city.
► stretch to make a piece of string, elastic, cloth etc longer by pulling it: · Norma picked up a stocking, stretched it and then pulled it onto her foot.· Careful, don't stretch it, it'll snap!
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► the shadows lengthen
Word family (=get longer, as it gets later in the day)· Already the shadows were lengthening.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN► shadow· Towards the end of the fourth day, as shadows lengthen across sunlit fairways, we witness a test of character as well.· The afternoon was well advanced: the light like gauze on the bricks and leaves, the shadows lengthening.· The shadows had lengthened, he thought, so that probably he had been right and it was towards evening.· And as the shadows lengthened and the light drained from the sky, the crystal began to glow.· Warm shadows have lengthened across the road and the tourists have gone.· The shadows were rapidly lengthening, and in the air there was the crisp, metallic scent of winter.· Beyond the window their shadows lengthen, aspiring to the stature of a late quartet.· The evening shadows had lengthened still more.
► stride· Furious with myself for these creeping insidious thoughts I focussed on lengthening my stride and levitating the rucksack.· Without exchanging a word we lengthened our strides, splashing through puddles, and made for the door.· He had walked away from Sophie and now she lengthened her stride to catch him up.· Quinn walked home the way he had come, lengthening his strides with each new block.· The animal responded at once, quickly lengthening its stride into a gallop.
► time· New developments in filtration have been mainly in the direction of improving performance and lengthening the times between backwashing.· Con: Outlines can lengthen your writing time because they take so long to create.
WORD FAMILYadjectivelengtheninglengthyadverblengthwiselengthwaysnounlengthverblengthen
to make something longer or to become longer OPP shorten: Can you lengthen this skirt for me? The days lengthened as summer approached.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say that something gets longer rather than lengthens:· The days began to get longer.