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 prolong in a Sentence
Additives are used to prolong the shelf life of packaged food.
High interest rates were prolonging the recession.
Recent Examples on the WebFlooring Regardless of the type of flooring, proper maintenance is essential to prolong its life span.—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Aug. 2024 But using our most vulnerable communities as testing grounds for experimental solutions is not an acceptable cost, especially when those solutions are part of a last-ditch effort to prolong our reliance on fossil fuels.—Ben Jealous, The Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2024 Changing the water daily and trimming flowers on a 45-degree angle can help prolong their life.—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2024 Choose your plan → MOST READ Weather 1 The odds of a new Atlantic tropical storm are growing
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D.C. area begins fifth heat wave amid one of its hottest summers on record
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Maps of the Alexander Mountain Fire in Colorado
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U.S. faces prolonged, coast-to-coast heat wave.—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 31 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for prolong
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prolong.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Middle French prolonguer, from Late Latin prolongare, from Latin pro- forward + longus long
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