Meanings
verbprolong (third-person singular simple present prolongs, present participle prolonging, simple past and past participle prolonged)
present singular third person prolongs · participle present prolonging · participle past prolonged · past prolonged
- transitiveTo extend in space or length.
Instead of the separate Black, Caspian, and Aral seas, there was one vast Ponto-Aralian Mediterranean, which must have prolonged into arms and fiords along the lower valleys of the Danube, and the Volga, the Ural, and the other affluent rivers.
1906, Thomas Huxley, “The Aryan Question”, in Collected Essays, volume 6, page 300 - transitiveTo lengthen in time; to extend the duration of.
Complaining prolongs one’s pain.
1 more example
The departure was not unduly prolonged. In the road Mr. Love and the driver favoured the company with a brief chanty running. “Got it?—No, I ain't, 'old on,—Got it? Got it?—No, 'old on sir.”
1921, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLCSynonyms: draw out
- intransitiveTo become longer; lengthen.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo lengthen in time; to extend the duration of.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinprōlongō
- Old Frenchprolonguer
- Englishprolong
Either a back-formation from prolongation, or from Old French prolonguer or porloignier, from Latin prōlongō, from prō + longō. Doublet of purloin.
More words from Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μακρύνω, μακρύνω
- μακρύνω (makrúnō)to extend in space or length
- μακρύνω (makrúnō)to lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
Arabic أَطَالَ, أَطَالَ
- أَطَالَ (ʔaṭāla)to extend in space or length
- أَطَالَ (ʔaṭāla)to lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
Bulgarian удължавам, отлагам
- удължавам (udălžavam)to extend in space or length
- отлагам (otlagam)to lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
Catalan perllongar, prolongar
- perllongarto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- prolongarto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
Czech prodloužit, zvětšit
- prodloužitto extend in space or length
- zvětšitto extend in space or length
- prodloužitto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- odkládatto lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
Dutch bestendigen
- bestendigento lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
Esperanto vastigi, longigi
- vastigito extend in space or length
- longigito lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- prokrastito lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
Estonian pikendama, pikendama
- pikendamato extend in space or length
- pikendamato lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- edasi lükkamato lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
Finnish pidentää, jatkaa
- pidentääto extend in space or length
- jatkaato extend in space or length
- venyttääto extend in space or length
- pidentääto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- jatkaato lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- pitkittääto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- venyttääto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- pidentääto lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
- venyttääto lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
- pitkittääto lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
French prolonger
- prolongerto extend in space or length
German ausdehnen, verlängern
- ausdehnento extend in space or length
- verlängernto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- hinauszögernto lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
Hungarian meghosszabbít, elhalaszt
- meghosszabbítto extend in space or length
- elhalasztto lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
Latin prōrogō, protraho
- prōrogōto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- protrahoto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
Māori whakaroa, aukume
- whakaroato extend in space or length
- aukumeto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- whakaupato lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- autōto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- whakaupaupato lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- tinakuto lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
- whakaupato lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
- whakaupaupato lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
Portuguese prolongar, prolongar
- prolongarto extend in space or length
- prolongarto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- adiarto lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
Romanian prelungi, lungi
- prelungito extend in space or length
- lungito extend in space or length
- alungito extend in space or length
- extindeto extend in space or length
- prelungito lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- amânato lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
Russian продлева́ть, продли́ть
- продлева́ть (prodlevátʹ)to extend in space or length
- продли́ть (prodlítʹ)to extend in space or length
- продлева́ть (prodlevátʹ)to lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- продли́ть (prodlítʹ)to lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- откла́дывать (otkládyvatʹ)to lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
- отложи́ть (otložítʹ)to lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
Spanish prolongar, prolongar
- prolongarto extend in space or length
- prolongarto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- prorrogarto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- aplazarto lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- prolongarto lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
- prorrogarto lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
- aplazarto lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
Swedish förlänga, förlänga
- förlängato extend in space or length
- förlängato lengthen in time; to extend the duration of; to draw out; to continue
- skjuta uppto lengthen; to put off to a distant time; to postpone
Tagalog ipadayon
- ipadayonto extend in space or length
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with prolong
longalongsongstrongwrongkonghongbelongthongwongdonggongjongcongtongprongmahjongoblongHmongqigongthrongsarongPerpignannong
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
prolong. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prolong
MLA
“prolong.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prolong. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prolong,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prolong.
Source: prolong on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.