long-term
Americanadjective
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covering a relatively long period of time.
a long-term lease.
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maturing over or after a relatively long period of time.
a long-term loan; a long-term bond.
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(of a capital gain or loss) derived from the sale or exchange of an asset held for more than a specified time, as six months or one year.
adjective
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lasting, staying, or extending over a long time
long-term prospects
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finance maturing after a long period of time
a long-term bond
Etymology
Origin of long-term
First recorded in 1905–10
Explanation
Something that's long-term has lasted for quite a while. If you have a long-term girlfriend, she's been in your life for years. Use the adjective long-term to describe things that are so enduring that they're nearly permanent. Someone who's a long-term resident of Canada has lived there for a very long time, and news of long-term unemployment is discouraging because it means people have been out of work for months and months. Long-term was originally a word describing only insurance policies, in the 1870's.
Vocabulary lists containing long-term
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"How do we manage a species that is now threatened by its own abundance, and do so in a way that protects both animal welfare and long-term ecosystem health?"
From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026
The CEO also said that upcoming data releases for its vopimetostat single agent in lung cancer and its TNG456 therapy in glioblastoma represent “significant long-term opportunity” for the company.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
Should long-term Treasury yields move higher from here, it would make the build-out of AI more expensive to finance in the debt markets.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
And now it’s serving softball, a sport that for decades has been among the most popular for girls in America, even without long-term playing prospects or pro players to strive to emulate.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
“Do you understand the long-term issues of a cross-country run like you’re planning? Muscle damage, oxidative stress, enlargement of the heart, knee damage, hip and pelvis misalignment, should I go on?”
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
