in the long run

Idioms  

1. Over a lengthy period of time, in the end. For example, He realized that in the long run, their argument wouldn't seem so awful. This expression, which originated as at the long run in the early 1600s, presumably alludes to a runner who continues on his course to the end. Economist John Maynard Keynes used it in a much-quoted quip about economic planning: “In the long run we are all dead.” The antonym, in the short run, meaning “over a short period of time,” dates only from the 1800s. The novelist George Eliot used both in a letter (October 18, 1879): “Mrs. Healy's marriage is surely what you expected in the long or short run.”

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Example Sentences

That helps it keep working in the long run.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

"It's quite important to expand this to the Asian population so that in the long run, the results can benefit us too," he said.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2026

A prolonged US-Israel conflict with Iran could also hit Chinese exports in the long run, despite better-than-expected trade growth last month.

From Barron's • May 12, 2026

But dig a little deeper and the decision is not so obvious as the stats warn that, as brilliant as results have been, they're unlikely to continue in the long run.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

And the children gain in the long run.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Related Words

• already
• belatedly
• eventually
• someday
• sooner or later
• subsequently
• ultimately