furlong
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of furlong
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English furlang “length of a furrow”; see origin at furrow, long 1
Explanation
A furlong is a unit of measurement that's equal to 220 yards. It takes eight furlongs to make a mile. These days, the measurement is mainly used to mark distances in horse racing. Furlongs were once a common way to measure farmland, with one furlong being the length of a furrow in a 10-acre field. This use dates back to Anglo Saxon times. Furlongs still appear on highway signs in Myanmar. Some modern cities, including Chicago and parts of Salt Lake City, have 800 address units for every mile, making each city block a furlong in length.
Vocabulary lists containing furlong
The Tempest
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2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 3
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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.
Farrell is without starting Test Lions props Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong, while Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle's unavailability further weakens his hand at loose-head.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026
With Tadgh Furlong still not fully fit, Farrell said he was not prepared to risk the British and Irish Lion for this game.
From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026
For those named in the squad, Hugo Keenan, Ciaran Frawley, Jamie Osborne, Tadhg Furlong and Finlay Bealham have all recently been injured and will be lacking match minutes.
From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026
Former CEO Matt Furlong acknowledged the company was on the “brink of bankruptcy” leading up to the 2021 short squeeze.
From Barron's • Dec. 10, 2025
Furlong got very angry, while Dick and Murphy shouted with laughter at him—"No, sir," said Furlong, "I don't welish the pwactice of such di'ty twicks."
From Handy Andy, Volume One A Tale of Irish Life, in Two Volumes by Lover, Samuel
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.
