lasting
Americanadjective
noun
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a strong, durable, closely woven fabric for shoe uppers, coverings on buttons, etc.
-
Archaic. the quality of surviving or continuing and maintaining strength, effectiveness, etc.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lasting
First recorded in 1125–75 lasting for def. 1; 1775–85 lasting for def. 2; Middle English (adjective); last 2 + -ing 2
Explanation
If something is lasting, it sticks around for a very long time. If you and your best pal have known each other since you were three, that's a lasting friendship. Remember that time when you wore a purple plaid shirt, a green tutu, and a top hat to school? You certainly made a lasting impression! And while using donation money to throw a fabulous party might be fun in the short term, spending the cash on new books for the school library will have more of a lasting impact. This adjective is great for things that last or continue for a long, long time.
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.
Leaving a lasting legacy via a medium that’s only around 75 years old is not lost on Thater, who said video and film are ripe for innovation.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
Called Star-Bound, the drone show features up to 1,000 purpose-built drones in an aerial display lasting up to 12 minutes.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
A ceasefire on April 8 halted the conflict, but negotiation efforts, including historic face to face talks hosted in Islamabad have so far failed to yield a lasting agreement.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
However crass it might seem to use the document for advertising, the practice put the Declaration in many more hands and created a lasting relationship with the American people.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
But that money wasn’t lasting ’cause Ma was giving it away—a couple hundred here, a couple thousand there, until Q put an end to that.
From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi
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.
