long-term
Americanadjective
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covering a relatively long period of time.
a long-term lease.
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maturing over or after a relatively long period of time.
a long-term loan; a long-term bond.
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(of a capital gain or loss) derived from the sale or exchange of an asset held for more than a specified time, as six months or one year.
adjective
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lasting, staying, or extending over a long time
long-term prospects
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finance maturing after a long period of time
a long-term bond
Etymology
Origin of long-term
First recorded in 1905–10
Explanation
Something that's long-term has lasted for quite a while. If you have a long-term girlfriend, she's been in your life for years. Use the adjective long-term to describe things that are so enduring that they're nearly permanent. Someone who's a long-term resident of Canada has lived there for a very long time, and news of long-term unemployment is discouraging because it means people have been out of work for months and months. Long-term was originally a word describing only insurance policies, in the 1870's.
Vocabulary lists containing long-term
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Similarly, Arsenal's chief executive Richard Garlick has said it was merely a "matter of time" before Arteta's new long-term deal was confirmed.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
“The single biggest hurdle for long-term investors, in our discussions, has been proving out the ROI on AI investment, and we believe the Muse app is a significant step in that direction,” the analysts write.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
The warmer phase of a natural climate cycle, El Nino episodes usually deliver a temporary spike in global temperatures already elevated by long-term background warming.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Government market interventions this summer in the U.S., to cap long-term interest rates, and in Japan, to halt its currency’s decline, have given way to a stronger yen and higher Treasury yields.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Critics point out that the species is ill-suited for long-term survival.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
