along

American  

[uh-lawng, uh-long] / əˈlɔŋ, əˈlɒŋ /

preposition

1. through, on, beside, over, or parallel to the length or direction of; from one end to the other of.

   to walk along a highway; to run a border along a shelf.

2. during; in the course of.

   Somewhere along the way I lost my hat.

3. in conformity or accordance with.

   I plan to revise the article along the lines suggested.

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adverb

1. by the length; lengthwise; parallel to or in a line with the length or direction.

   He ran along beside me.

2. with a progressive motion; onward.

   The police ordered the line to move along.

3. (of time) some way on.

   along toward evening.

4. in company; in agreement (usually followed bywith ).

   I'll go along with you. He planned the project along with his associates.

5. as a companion; with one.

   She took her brother along.

6. from one person or place to another.

   The order was passed along from the general to the captain and from the captain to a private.

7. at or to an advanced place or state.

   Work on the new ship is quite far along.

8. as an accompanying item; on hand.

   Bring along your umbrella.

9. Chiefly Southern U.S. and British Dialect. along of,

   1. owing to; because of.

      We weren't invited, along of your rudeness.

   2. in company with.

      You come along of me to the store.

verb phrase

1. get along. get.

idioms

1. all along, all the time; throughout.

   I knew all along that it was a lie.

2. be along, to arrive at a place; come.

   They should be along soon.

along British  

/ əˈlɒŋ /

preposition

1. over or for the length of, esp in a more or less horizontal plane

   along the road

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adverb

1. continuing over the length of some specified thing

2. in accompaniment; together with some specified person or people

   he says he'd like to come along

3. forward

   the horse trotted along at a steady pace

4. to a more advanced state

   he got the work moving along

5. accompanying; together with

   consider the advantages along with the disadvantages

along More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing along

• all along
• all along the line
• be along
• come along
• follow along
• get along
• go along
• play along
• run along
• string along

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Etymology

Origin of along

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English andlang, equivalent to and- (cognate with Old Saxon, Old Norse and-, Gothic and(a)-, Old High German ant-; akin to Greek antí- and Latin ante-, prefix with the original sense “opposite, facing”) + lang ; see origin at long ¹. Cf. answer

Explanation

Along means "moving constantly in line with." When you walk along the road, you're going forward, keeping the road at your side. You can move along a path or drive along a highway, and you can also figuratively move along: "I learned a lot along the way." Something that extends in a nearly horizontal line can also be described as along, like the seaweed that stretches along the high-tide line on the beach. In Old English, it was andlang, "entire, continuous," "all day long," or "alongside of."

Example Sentences

Along the way, James's second saddle was filled by special guests including comedian Joe Lycett, fellow Radio 1 host Jamie Laing and, in a surprise appearance, the Prince of Wales.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Along with the many mathematicians, Havens also met a companion, Kimberly Elayyne.

From Slate • May 2, 2026

Along the way, he became the network’s go-to correspondent for music stories which, as evidenced through the gold album awards sent to him by artists, helped drive interest and record sales.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Along with earnings, L3Harris said External link it filed a confidential IPO registration statement for the missile business.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

Along with losing the coconuts, I had given up my calf, and I wasn’t any closer to having my pony and .22 than I was the day Rowdy treed the first monkey.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

• also
• as well
• simultaneously
• too