lasting
Americanadjective
noun
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a strong, durable, closely woven fabric for shoe uppers, coverings on buttons, etc.
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Archaic. the quality of surviving or continuing and maintaining strength, effectiveness, etc.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of lasting
First recorded in 1125–75 lasting for def. 1; 1775–85 lasting for def. 2; Middle English (adjective); last 2 + -ing 2
Explanation
If something is lasting, it sticks around for a very long time. If you and your best pal have known each other since you were three, that's a lasting friendship. Remember that time when you wore a purple plaid shirt, a green tutu, and a top hat to school? You certainly made a lasting impression! And while using donation money to throw a fabulous party might be fun in the short term, spending the cash on new books for the school library will have more of a lasting impact. This adjective is great for things that last or continue for a long, long time.
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.
But over the short and even intermediate terms, lasting not just several years but decades, gold’s correlation to inflation is unstable.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
“A lasting peace agreement appears increasingly elusive,” analysts at Saxo Bank say.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
And because social media posts rarely disappear entirely, they become part of a lasting digital record.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
I thought my findings, like many academic papers, would have limited lasting relevance in the fast-evolving world of business.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
Of more lasting significance was a large-scale population shift within Africa itself, the Bantu expansion.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
