protract
to draw out or lengthen, especially in time; extend the duration of; prolong.
Anatomy. to extend or protrude.
(in surveying, mathematics, etc.) to plot and draw (lines) with a scale and a protractor.
Origin of protract
1synonym study For protract
Other words for protract
Opposites for protract
Other words from protract
- pro·tract·ed·ly, adverb
- pro·tract·ed·ness, noun
- pro·tract·i·ble, adjective
- pro·trac·tive, adjective
- o·ver·pro·tract, verb (used with object)
- un·pro·tract·ed, adjective
- un·pro·trac·tive, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use protract in a sentence
Many wonders are related of the effects of abstinence, in the cure of several disorders, and in protracting the term of life.
The Book of Curiosities | I. PlattsThe uneasiness, which the protracting of this negotiation gave the Prince, threw him into an ague.
The Life of the Truly Eminent and Learned Hugo Grotius | Jean Lvesque de BurignyStill he sat smoking and protracting his coffee, and haughtily playing that he was not starving for companionship.
What Will People Say? | Rupert HughesIn regard to the effects of protracting the time spent in repose, many extensive and satisfactory investigations have been made.
A Treatise on Domestic Economy | Catherine Esther BeecherWe are said to drawl our words by protracting the vowels and giving them a more diphthongal sound than the English.
The Verbalist | Thomas Embly Osmun, (AKA Alfred Ayres)
British Dictionary definitions for protract
/ (prəˈtrækt) /
to lengthen or extend (a speech, etc); prolong in time
(of a muscle) to draw, thrust, or extend (a part, etc) forwards
to plot or draw using a protractor and scale
Origin of protract
1Derived forms of protract
- protractive, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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