prolong

/prəˈlɔŋ/

Say it: pruh-LONG

verb To make something last for a longer time; to extend the duration of an event or process.
The medical team used advanced techniques to prolong the patient's life.

📖 Seen in the wild

The negotiations were prolonged for several weeks due to disagreements.
collected by @vocablast

✏️ prolong in a sentence

Let's not prolong this meeting any more than necessary; we all have work to do.
The legal team's constant objections seemed designed to prolong the trial.
She lingered over her coffee, hoping to prolong the quiet moment before the house woke up.
Unwilling to say goodbye, he prolonged their conversation with one more trivial question.
The ceasefire was intended to end the fighting, not prolong the stalemate.
Technological advances have helped prolong the shelf life of many food products.

🔁 Synonyms & antonyms

extend lengthen draw out protract sustain continue perpetuate

extend · is more neutral and can apply to space or scope, not just time.

lengthen · focuses specifically on the dimension of length, whether in time or space.

draw out · often implies making something last unnecessarily long, carrying a negative connotation.

protract · is a more formal term, typically used for negotiations or conflicts that become tediously long.

Opposites: shorten, curtail, abbreviate, truncate, reduce

🌱 Where it comes from

The word 'prolong' traveled from Latin to English through Old French. It comes from the Late Latin 'prolongare', which breaks down into 'pro-', meaning 'forward' or 'forth', and 'longus', meaning 'long'. The meaning has remained remarkably stable over centuries, always referring to the act of making something longer.

🧩 How it's used

Common patterns:

prolong the agonyprolong lifeprolong a conflictprolong a discussionprolong the inevitable

'Prolong' is used almost exclusively to talk about extending time. While it can be neutral ('prolong a vacation'), it frequently carries a negative connotation, as we often prolong things we wish were over, such as suffering, a conflict, or a tedious meeting. Be careful not to confuse it with 'protract', which is more formal and almost always implies a tedious and unnecessary delay, especially in official proceedings.

Word family: prolongation, prolonged

💬 Quick answers

What does 'prolong' mean?

To prolong something means to make it last longer or to extend its duration. It is often used for events, processes, or states of being.

What is the difference between 'prolong' and 'extend'?

'Prolong' almost always refers to time and often implies stretching out something that is difficult or undesirable. 'Extend' is more neutral and can refer to making something longer in time, space (extend a fence), or scope (extend an invitation).

Is 'prolong' a formal word?

'Prolong' is a neutral word that fits well in both formal and everyday contexts. It is more common in writing and considered speech than in very casual conversation.

What is the noun for 'prolong'?

The noun form is 'prolongation', which means the act of making something longer or the state of being lengthened in time.

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