To elongate means to make something longer or to stretch it out. When you elongate a rubber band, you pull it so it becomes longer than it was. When a cat wakes up from a nap and elongates its body in a long stretch, it's extending itself to its full length.

The word describes a deliberate lengthening process. A gymnast might elongate her arms and legs during a routine to create beautiful, stretched-out lines. An artist might elongate the neck of a figure in a painting to create a certain elegant effect. Shadow puppets become elongated as you move your hands farther from the wall.

In writing, someone might elongate a story by adding extra details and descriptions, making it longer than necessary. Scientists use the word too: some materials elongate when heated, stretching out as their molecules spread apart.

The opposite of elongate is compress or shorten. While elongate suggests pulling or stretching something to make it reach farther, compression means pushing things together to make them smaller. Think of how a spring elongates when you pull it and compresses when you push it.