Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To draw out or lengthen in time; prolong.
- transitive verb Mathematics To draw to scale by means of a scale and protractor; plot.
- transitive verb Anatomy To extend or protrude (a body part).
from The Century Dictionary.
- To draw out or lengthen in time; prolong: now chiefly in the past participle.
- To lengthen out in space; extend in general.
- To delay; defer; put off to a distant time.
- In surveying, to draw to a scale; lay down, by means of a scale and protractor, the lines and angles of, as a piece of land; plot.
- In anatomy, to draw forward (a part or an organ); extend (a part) anteriorly; have the action or effect of a protractor upon.
- noun A lengthening out; delay; putting off.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To draw out or lengthen in time or (rarely) in space; to continue; to prolong
- transitive verb To put off to a distant time; to delay; to defer.
- transitive verb (Surv.) To draw to a scale; to lay down the lines and angles of, with scale and protractor; to plot.
- transitive verb (Zoöl.) To extend; to protrude; ; -- opposed to
retract . - noun obsolete Tedious continuance or delay.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To draw out; to
extend , especially induration . - verb To use a
protractor . - verb rare To
draw ordelineate .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb lengthen in time; cause to be or last longer
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word protract.
Examples
-
More to the point, why do YOU want to protract a not particularly pleasant experience?
The Volokh Conspiracy » Ten Rules for Dealing with Police 2010
-
Judging from the tragic footage that has come out of Tahrir Square and Alexandria, and the horror stories leaking out of jail cells, Mr. Mubarak may, in fact, protract his rule for weeks or even months.
Mubarak's Interests Are Not America's Saad Eddin Ibrahim 2011
-
Both often call for travel and protract beyond a day or two.
Michele Somerville: December Dilemma: Maccabees vs. The Elves Michele Somerville 2011
-
With support from Pakistan, the Taliban has managed to protract the fighting and create a strategic deadlock.
Why Negotiate With the Taliban? Amrullah Saleh 2012
-
As a result, there is a strong incentive for the less ethically minded lawyer to protract a legal battle by encouraging this tactic.
Liz Mandarano: The Worst Thing A Woman Can Do In Divorce Proceedings - The Abuse Of Orders of Protection Liz Mandarano 2011
-
Both often call for travel and protract beyond a day or two.
Michele Somerville: December Dilemma: Maccabees vs. The Elves Michele Somerville 2011
-
As a result, there is a strong incentive for the less ethically minded lawyer to protract a legal battle by encouraging this tactic.
Liz Mandarano: The Worst Thing A Woman Can Do In Divorce Proceedings - The Abuse Of Orders of Protection Liz Mandarano 2011
-
And withdrawing to a designated line would simply embolden the Mexicans to fight on and hence protract the war indefinitely.
A Country of Vast Designs Robert W. Merry 2009
-
A more effectual means could not have been devised to encourage the enemy and protract the war than to advocate and adhere to their cause, and thus give them “aid and comfort.”
A Country of Vast Designs Robert W. Merry 2009
-
A more effectual means could not have been devised to encourage the enemy and protract the war than to advocate and adhere to their cause, and thus give them “aid and comfort.”
A Country of Vast Designs Robert W. Merry 2009
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.