long-term
Americanadjective
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covering a relatively long period of time.
a long-term lease.
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maturing over or after a relatively long period of time.
a long-term loan; a long-term bond.
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(of a capital gain or loss) derived from the sale or exchange of an asset held for more than a specified time, as six months or one year.
adjective
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lasting, staying, or extending over a long time
long-term prospects
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finance maturing after a long period of time
a long-term bond
Etymology
Origin of long-term
First recorded in 1905–10
Explanation
Something that's long-term has lasted for quite a while. If you have a long-term girlfriend, she's been in your life for years. Use the adjective long-term to describe things that are so enduring that they're nearly permanent. Someone who's a long-term resident of Canada has lived there for a very long time, and news of long-term unemployment is discouraging because it means people have been out of work for months and months. Long-term was originally a word describing only insurance policies, in the 1870's.
Vocabulary lists containing long-term
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.
On Friday, new data on consumer inflation for August showed it remaining steady at 3.4 percent -- no change from the month before, but still well above the Fed's long-term two percent target.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks tissue around the joints, causing pain, swelling, stiffness, and potentially long-term damage.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
He says math is quickly approaching a “worst-case scenario” that threatens the long-term health of his field and society at large.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Norwich City Council said it was continuing to explore a "range of humane and proportionate long-term measures to manage the pigeon population".
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Critics point out that the species is ill-suited for long-term survival.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
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.
