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
adjective prə-
Synonyms
- drag (out)
- draw out
- elongate
- extend
- lengthen
- outstretch
- prolong
- stretch
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
the highway project was protracted by years of litigation
Recent Examples on the Web That could take some time, that could really protract things. 
Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2022 Epidemics can be short-lived or protracted, or, like the Justinianic plague, recurrent. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2020 The process of making sourdough is protracted, but Petrarca and Richardson said the crusty, tangy result is worth the effort. David Lindquist, Indianapolis Star, 16 Apr. 2020 Ammon Bundy is the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who in 2014 engaged in a protracted battled with the federal Bureau of Land Management over grazing rights for his cattle. Anna-maja Rappard, CNN, 9 Apr. 2020 Some of these regions have protracted and incredibly violent conflicts. John D'anna, azcentral, 17 Dec. 2019 Instead of yielding an emphatic victory for one side and, conversely, an incontrovertible defeat for the other, modern armed conflicts are prone to descend into protracted, drawn out endgames. Cian O'driscoll, Quartz, 2 Dec. 2019 But the road to the referendum was protracted and bloody. The Economist, 23 Nov. 2019 In his speech, Johnson delivered what amounted to a breezy dismissal of May’s protracted and ultimately unsuccessful efforts to win lawmakers’ approval for a divorce agreement with the EU. Christina Boyle, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2019 See More
Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2022 Epidemics can be short-lived or protracted, or, like the Justinianic plague, recurrent. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2020 The process of making sourdough is protracted, but Petrarca and Richardson said the crusty, tangy result is worth the effort. David Lindquist, Indianapolis Star, 16 Apr. 2020 Ammon Bundy is the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who in 2014 engaged in a protracted battled with the federal Bureau of Land Management over grazing rights for his cattle. Anna-maja Rappard, CNN, 9 Apr. 2020 Some of these regions have protracted and incredibly violent conflicts. John D'anna, azcentral, 17 Dec. 2019 Instead of yielding an emphatic victory for one side and, conversely, an incontrovertible defeat for the other, modern armed conflicts are prone to descend into protracted, drawn out endgames. Cian O'driscoll, Quartz, 2 Dec. 2019 But the road to the referendum was protracted and bloody. The Economist, 23 Nov. 2019 In his speech, Johnson delivered what amounted to a breezy dismissal of May’s protracted and ultimately unsuccessful efforts to win lawmakers’ approval for a divorce agreement with the EU. Christina Boyle, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin protractus, past participle of protrahere, literally, to draw forward, from pro- forward + trahere to draw — more at pro-
First Known Use
1540, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Kids Definition
protract
verb
pro·tract prō-ˈtrakt
protracted; protracting
: to make longer : draw out in time or space Disagreements protracted the negotiation.
Medical Definition
protract
transitive verb
pro·tract prō-ˈtrakt
: to extend forward or outward
the mandible is protracted and retracted in chewing
compare retract protracts
verb
as in lengthens
to make longer the highway project was protracted by years of litigation Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- lengthens
- prolongs
- increases
- extends
- stretches
- elongates
- outstretches
- enlarges
- expands
- draws out
- attenuates
- amplifies
- thins
- drags (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- curtails
- shortens
- cuts
- abridges
- decreases
- diminishes
- reduces
- lessens
- abbreviates
- thickens
- cuts back