furlong

[ fur-lawng, -long ]

noun

a unit of distance, equal to 220 yards (201 meters) or ⅛ mile (0.2 kilometer). Abbreviation: fur.

Origin of furlong

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English furlang “length of a furrow”; see origin at furrow, long¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use furlong in a sentence

The course is about a mile and a half in circumference, and the "straight" about five furlongs in length.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
From thence they departed seven hundred and fifty furlongs, and came to Characa, to the Jews that are called Tubianites.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
Sultan, without more urging, had made the furlongs fly in gallant style, and it was time to be looking out for my landmarks.
The Yeoman Adventurer | George W. Gough
You may ride 's / With one soft kiss a thousand 40 furlongs ere / With spur we heat an acre.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources | James Wood
She was not two furlongs away, and she held dead upon her course, till at last those galleys saw that she would not sink alone.
Fair Margaret | H. Rider Haggard

British Dictionary definitions for furlong

furlong

/ (ˈfɜːˌlɒŋ) /

noun

a unit of length equal to 220 yards (201.168 metres)

Origin of furlong

Old English furlang, from furh furrow + lang long 1

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

Browse