along

[uh-lawng, uh-long]

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.

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.

along

/ əˈlɒŋ /

preposition

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

   along the road

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of along¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of along¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

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

Example Sentences

What I learned along the way was to treat things with more care.

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No way were they created from the blood, sweat and beers of toiling engineers, massive amounts of human ingenuity melded with trillions in capital delivered along land, ship and jet trade routes.

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They are frequently found in regions around the Mediterranean, as well as across continental Europe and along the Atlantic seaboard.

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The Restore 3 is a sleeper’s Swiss Army knife, with a variety of white noise and other ambient sounds, along with gentle lighting to ease you into—and out of—your bed.

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Both men were also banned along with Smith.

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Related Words

• also 
• as well 
• simultaneously 
• too