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Definition of "protract" [pro•tract]

  • To draw out or lengthen in time; prolong: disputants who needlessly protracted the negotiations. (verb-transitive)
  • Mathematics To draw to scale by means of a scale and protractor; plot. (verb-transitive)
  • Anatomy To extend or protrude (a body part). (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "protract" in a sentence
  • "With support from Pakistan, the Taliban has managed to protract the fighting and create a strategic deadlock."
  • "Both often call for travel and protract beyond a day or two."
  • "More to the point, why do YOU want to protract a not particularly pleasant experience?"