along
Americanpreposition
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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.
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during; in the course of.
Somewhere along the way I lost my hat.
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in conformity or accordance with.
I plan to revise the article along the lines suggested.
adverb
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by the length; lengthwise; parallel to or in a line with the length or direction.
He ran along beside me.
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with a progressive motion; onward.
The police ordered the line to move along.
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(of time) some way on.
along toward evening.
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in company; in agreement (usually followed bywith ).
I'll go along with you. He planned the project along with his associates.
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as a companion; with one.
She took her brother along.
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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.
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at or to an advanced place or state.
Work on the new ship is quite far along.
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as an accompanying item; on hand.
Bring along your umbrella.
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Chiefly Southern U.S. and British Dialect. along of,
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owing to; because of.
We weren't invited, along of your rudeness.
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in company with.
You come along of me to the store.
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verb phrase
idioms
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all along, all the time; throughout.
I knew all along that it was a lie.
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be along, to arrive at a place; come.
They should be along soon.
preposition
adverb
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continuing over the length of some specified thing
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in accompaniment; together with some specified person or people
he says he'd like to come along
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forward
the horse trotted along at a steady pace
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to a more advanced state
he got the work moving along
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accompanying; together with
consider the advantages along with the disadvantages
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The two set off for Moscow to try to get Kelly to the US embassy, hoping that Ustinov will be allowed to tag along -- and finally one day sample McDonald's.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
So congrats to two Democrats who this week took a surprise stand that allowed Congress to keep ticking along.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
The order could govern federal usage; it could not compel Canada or the rest of the world to play along.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
The response to catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border a week ago has turned to relief and recovery, even as rescuers scramble to reach anyone who may be alive.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
I know because I’ve caught him singing along with me, even though he denies it.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
