Meaning & use

extend

verb·Academic

To stretch out, draw forth, or make something longer or larger; the opposite of pulling something back in.

See it in a sentence

The cat extended its claws before pouncing on the toy.

The company plans to extend the deadline by another two weeks.

A note on using this word

"Extend" is the natural opposite of "retract" for physical things like claws or landing gear; for a spoken statement, "affirm" or "stand by" works better.

Words with a similar meaning

stretch outprotrude

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

retractwithdraw

Make it your own

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