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 ; see origin at long ¹. Cf. answer

Explanation

Along means "moving constantly in line with." When you walk along the road, you're going forward, keeping the road at your side. You can move along a path or drive along a highway, and you can also figuratively move along: "I learned a lot along the way." Something that extends in a nearly horizontal line can also be described as along, like the seaweed that stretches along the high-tide line on the beach. In Old English, it was andlang, "entire, continuous," "all day long," or "alongside of."

Example Sentences

The wind-driven Sandy fire in Simi Valley, fueled by dry brush along hillsides, has scorched nearly 1,400 acres.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

Defense Ministry said Tuesday the drone, along with two others that were shot down, originated from Iraq.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Both Anthropic and SpaceX, along with OpenAI, are expected to pursue initial public offerings in the near future.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

But somewhere along the way, these movies became bigger, more outrageous.

From Salon • May 19, 2026

This year she brought me along, so I could get to know the town before I start at the Mount, the Native boarding school for kids from villages too small to have a high school.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• also
• as well
• simultaneously
• too