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.
The yield on 10-year Treasurys—a critical driver of long-term interest rates for consumers and businesses—crossed 5% for the first time since 2023 this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Mahaney said that although OpenAI’s ChatGPT “remains the clear long-term share gainer,” according to the survey, it has fallen from its August 2025 peak of 13% of respondents selecting it as their primary search engine.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
The Fitzroy now needs to pass a final assessment of its design, value for money and long-term community legacy.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Salesforce stood by its long-term growth targets and argued it can withstand the AI boom at its annual Dreamforce conference.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
The hacienda served as a sanitorium—a medical facility for those with long-term illness—and Dr. Pérez was in charge.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
