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

Ending the projects early would likely tip ZF into the red for the year, finance boss Michael Frick said, adding that he nevertheless thought the hit would be worth it in the long run.

From Barron's

It hadn’t been enough in the long run, but it had helped them survive until they could get out.

From Literature

Tariffs could also entice more foreign companies to open factories in the U.S., boosting the manufacturing sector in the long run.

From The Wall Street Journal

But if such attacks continue, in the long run foreign companies may be put off trading with the port.

From BBC

But housing economists have cautioned that the bond purchases might not push mortgage rates substantially lower in the long run.

From BBC

Related Words

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