come a long way

Idioms  

1. Make considerable progress or improvement, as in That's good, Rob—you've certainly come a long way. This usage, which transfers the “distance” of a long way to progress, gained considerable currency in the 1960s and 1970s in an advertising slogan for Virginia Slims cigarettes addressed especially to women: “You've come a long way, baby.”

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Example Sentences

U.S. and Canadian soccer fans have come a long way since 1994, the last time North America played host to the World Cup.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

But Diller noted that BetMGM has come a long way from losing $440 million two years ago, to being profitable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

"The production of hardback books has come a long way over the years. The boards for them are now much lighter," she added.

From BBC • May 24, 2026

“It has come a long way in a relatively short period of time, as it’s up around 30% since early February,” Trade Nation analyst David Morrison said in a note Friday.

From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026

But I didn’t believe it; we’d come a long way, as far back over the hills as I could see, and that was a couple of miles.

From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier