Library / English Dictionary

LENGTHEN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Become long or longer

Example:

In Spring, the days lengthen

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "lengthen" is one way to...):

grow (become larger, greater, or bigger; expand or gain)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Antonym:

shorten (become short or shorter)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make longer

Example:

Lengthen this skirt, please

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "lengthen" is one way to...):

increase (make bigger or more)

Cause:

lengthen (become long or longer)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "lengthen"):

draw out; extend; prolong; protract (lengthen in time; cause to be or last longer)

elongate; stretch (make long or longer by pulling and stretching)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They lengthen the cape

Antonym:

shorten (make shorter than originally intended; reduce or retrench in length or duration)

Credits

 Context examples: 

This process may be involved in lengthening telomeres and in resolving breaks induced by radiation, mutagenic chemicals and collapsed replication forks.

(Mitotic Recombination, NCI Thesaurus)

He found that this was no light task, and at wheel or lookout he steadily went over and over his lengthening list of pronunciations and definitions, while he invariably memorized himself to sleep.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

At first it was only a minute’s chat, but soon his visits lengthened, and before the end of the term we were close friends.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The enzymatic activity of telomerase lengthens terminal regions of eukaryotic telomeric DNA by RNA-templated addition of repeated DNA sequences to compensate for sequence loss as the cells divide.

(Elongation by Telomerase, NCI Thesaurus)

Telomeres are the ends of chromosomes, the shortening of which can cause cell ageing and the lengthening of which can cause cancer.

(Long-term consumption of sunflower and fish oils damages the liver, University of Granada)

A disorder characterized by a dysrhythmia with a progressively lengthening PR interval prior to the blocking of an atrial impulse.

(AV Block Second Degree Mobitz Type I, NCI Thesaurus/CTCAE)

An electrocardiographic finding of intermittent failure of atrial electrical impulse conduction to the ventricles, characterized by a progressively lengthening PR interval prior to the block of an atrial impulse.

(AV Block Second Degree Mobitz Type I by ECG Finding, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

A disorder characterized by an electrocardiographic finding of intermittent failure of atrial electrical impulse conduction to the ventricles, characterized by a progressively lengthening PR interval prior to the block of an atrial impulse.

(AV Block Second Degree Mobitz Type I, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

Anticoagulants, such as heparin or warfarin (also called Coumadin), work on chemical reactions in your body to lengthen the time it takes to form a blood clot.

(Blood Thinners, NIH)

My face lengthened at this, Mr. Holmes, for I thought that I was not to have the vacancy after all; but after thinking it over for a few minutes he said that it would be all right.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)