Meaning & use
lengthen
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To make something longer in distance, size, or time.
Grammar: Takes an object: lengthen a skirt, lengthen the meeting.
Patterns
- lengthen something
- lengthen something by something
The tailor lengthened the trousers by two centimeters.
They decided to lengthen the course by adding two more weeks.
Can you lengthen this cable so it reaches the window?
verbintransitive
To become longer in distance, size, or time.
Grammar: No object; often used with 'as' or 'over': the days lengthen as spring comes.
Patterns
- something lengthens
- lengthen over time
The days lengthen quickly in April.
The queue lengthened as more people arrived.
Her shadow lengthened as the sun went down.
Word forms
| third person singular | lengthens |
|---|---|
| past tense | lengthened |
| past participle | lengthened |
| -ing form | lengthening |
Common combinations
- lengthen the odds
- The injury lengthened the odds of the team winning.
- lengthen a skirt
- She took the skirt to a tailor to lengthen it.
- lengthen the process
- Missing documents will lengthen the process.
- the days lengthen
- In the north, the days lengthen very fast in spring.
- lengthen the shadow
- The low sun lengthened the shadows on the wall.
Synonyms and how they differ
- extend
- Extend is more formal and often means making something cover more area or time; lengthen is the everyday word for making it longer.
- prolong
- Prolong is mostly about time and often suggests keeping something going longer than usual; lengthen is neutral.
- stretch
- Stretch means pulling something so it becomes longer, often temporarily; lengthen can also mean adding a piece.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: lengthen or long?
lengthen vs long
Long is an adjective or adverb; lengthen is the verb. Say 'the road is long', not 'the road lengthens' unless it is actually getting longer.
Practice
The days ______ as spring approaches.
Choose one answer.
The subject 'days' is plural, so the base form 'lengthen' is needed in the present tense; 'lengthens' is singular, and the other forms do not fit the simple present statement.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lengthen”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.