along

American  

[uh-lawng, uh-long] / əˈlɔŋ, əˈlɒŋ /

preposition

1. 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.

2. during; in the course of.

   Somewhere along the way I lost my hat.

3. in conformity or accordance with.

   I plan to revise the article along the lines suggested.

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adverb

1. by the length; lengthwise; parallel to or in a line with the length or direction.

   He ran along beside me.

2. with a progressive motion; onward.

   The police ordered the line to move along.

3. (of time) some way on.

   along toward evening.

4. in company; in agreement (usually followed bywith ).

   I'll go along with you. He planned the project along with his associates.

5. as a companion; with one.

   She took her brother along.

6. 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.

7. at or to an advanced place or state.

   Work on the new ship is quite far along.

8. as an accompanying item; on hand.

   Bring along your umbrella.

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

   1. owing to; because of.

      We weren't invited, along of your rudeness.

   2. in company with.

      You come along of me to the store.

verb phrase

1. get along. get.

idioms

1. all along, all the time; throughout.

   I knew all along that it was a lie.

2. be along, to arrive at a place; come.

   They should be along soon.

along British  

/ əˈlɒŋ /

preposition

1. over or for the length of, esp in a more or less horizontal plane

   along the road

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adverb

1. continuing over the length of some specified thing

2. in accompaniment; together with some specified person or people

   he says he'd like to come along

3. forward

   the horse trotted along at a steady pace

4. to a more advanced state

   he got the work moving along

5. accompanying; together with

   consider the advantages along with the disadvantages

along More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing along

• all along
• all along the line
• be along
• come along
• follow along
• get along
• go along
• play along
• run along
• string along

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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 ; long ¹. answer

Example Sentences

The dancers wove through the crowd as others clapped along in raucous celebration.

From Los Angeles Times

Local news footage showed protesters gathering along the snowy sidewalk nearby.

From The Wall Street Journal

In 2025, Chinese container ships completed 14 voyages through the Northern Sea Route along Russia’s Arctic coast, up from seven in 2023.

From MarketWatch

The rare sight of the French capital covered in snow drew residents and tourists out to ski down the slopes of Montmartre and along the Champs de Mars gardens below the Eiffel Tower.

From BBC

The Institute for Supply Management’s services index is due at 10 a.m., along with job openings for November and October factory orders.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• also
• as well
• simultaneously
• too