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 along

forward, onward, also, simultaneously, too, on, forth, accompanying, additionally, besides, furthermore, likewise, moreover, with, adjacent, at, by

Examples from the Web for along

Contemporary Examples of along

But along with the cartoon funk is an all-too-real story of police brutality embodied by a horde of evil Pigs.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical
Stereo Williams
January 9, 2015
Chérif was arrested in Paris in January 2005 as he was about to board a plane to Damascus along with a man named Thamer Bouchnak.
France Mourns—and Hunts
Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey
January 8, 2015
Luckily enough I have this dedicated flat that is just along from my house that I go to every day.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore
James Joiner
January 7, 2015
Along with a spreadsheet logging weapons purchases and other expenses, investigators found two documents.
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country
Jacob Siegel
January 6, 2015
Brazen cherry-picking of the information in this story inspired a flood of “Bush Was Right All Along!”
Political Memes That Absolutely Must Die in 2015
Asawin Suebsaeng
January 1, 2015

Historical Examples of along

Tell Aunt Cornelia, please, that I shall be along in just a moment.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
I can get along for a few hours, and then I'll have a doctor look at it.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Along the edge of the green pines and spruce were lavender asters.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
One of our horses is very lame, and we have a little trouble in getting him along.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
Got on the track just before dark and followed it along a few miles.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest

British Dictionary definitions for 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

See plus

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 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 along

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.