long distance

¹

noun

1. telephone service between distant places.

long-distance

²

[lawng-dis-tuhns, long-]

adjective

1. of, from, or between distant places.

   a long-distance phone call.

2. for, over, or covering long distances.

   a long-distance runner.

adverb

1. by long-distance telephone.

   to call someone long-distance.

long-distance

noun

1. (modifier) covering relatively long distances

   a long-distance driver

2. (modifier) (of telephone calls, lines, etc) connecting points a relatively long way apart

3. a long-distance telephone call

4. a long-distance telephone system or its operator

adverb

1. by a long-distance telephone line

   he phoned long-distance

Word History and Origins

Origin of long distance¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Origin of long distance²

First recorded in 1880–85