along

[uh-lawng, uh-long]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR along ON THESAURUS.COM

preposition

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.

during; in the course of: Somewhere along the way I lost my hat.

in conformity or accordance with: I plan to revise the article along the lines suggested.

adverb

by the length; lengthwise; parallel to or in a line with the length or direction: He ran along beside me.

with a progressive motion; onward: The police ordered the line to move along.

(of time) some way on: along toward evening.

in company; in agreement (usually followed by with): I'll go along with you. He planned the project along with his associates.

as a companion; with one: She took her brother along.

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.

at or to an advanced place or state: Work on the new ship is quite far along.

as an accompanying item; on hand: Bring along your umbrella.

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

owing to; because of: We weren't invited, along of your rudeness.
in company with: You come along of me to the store.

Verb Phrases

get along. get¹(def 36).

Idioms

all along, all the time; throughout: I knew all along that it was a lie.

be along, Informal. to arrive at a place; come: They should be along soon.

Origin of along

before 900; Middle English; Old English andlang, equivalent to and- (cognate with Old Saxon, Old Norse and-, Gothic and(a)-, Old High German ant-, prefix with orig. sense “facing”; cf. answer) + lang long¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for all along

amid, as, meanwhile, mid, midst, over, pending, throughout, until, when, while

British Dictionary definitions for all along

along

preposition

over or for the length of, esp in a more or less horizontal planealong the road

adverb

continuing over the length of some specified thing

in accompaniment; together with some specified person or peoplehe says he'd like to come along

forwardthe horse trotted along at a steady pace

to a more advanced statehe got the work moving along

along with accompanying; together withconsider the advantages along with the disadvantages

Word Origin for along

Old English andlang, from and- against + lang long 1; compare Old Frisian andlinga, Old Saxon antlang

xref

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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for all along

along

prep.

Old English andlang "entire, continuous; extended; all day long; alongside of," from and- "opposite, against" (from Proto-Germanic *andi-, *anda-, from PIE *anti "against," locative singular of *ant- "front, forehead;" see ante) + lang "long" (see long (adj.)). Sense extended to "through the whole length of."

Idioms and Phrases with all along

all along

From the start, throughout, from end to end, as in I've known he was innocent all along. [c. 1600] Also see all along the line.

along

In addition to the idioms beginning with along

along for the ride
along in years
alongside of
along the lines of
along with

also see:

all along
all along the line
be along
come along
follow along
get along

go alongplay alongrun along string along.