length

[ lengkth, length, lenth ]

/ lɛŋkθ, lɛŋθ, lɛnθ /

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noun

the longest extent of anything as measured from end to end: the length of a river.

the measure of the greatest dimension of a plane or solid figure.

extent from beginning to end of a series, enumeration, account, book, etc.: a report running 300 pages in length.

extent in time; duration: the length of a battle.

a distance determined by the extent of something specified: Hold the picture at arm's length.

a piece or portion of a certain or a known extent:a length of rope.

the quality or state of being long rather than short: a journey remarkable for its length.

the extent to which a person might or would go in pursuing something: He went to great lengths to get what he wanted.

a large extent or expanse of something.

the measure from end to end of a horse, boat, etc., as a unit of distance in racing: The horse won by two lengths.

Clothing. the extent of a garment related to a point it reaches, as on the wearer's body, the floor, or on a garment used as a standard of measurement (usually used in combination): an ankle-length gown; a floor-length negligee; a three-quarter-length coat.

Prosody, Phonetics.

(of a vowel or syllable) quantity, whether long or short.
the quality of vowels.

Bridge. the possession of four or more than four cards in a given suit.

Theater Archaic. 42 lines of an acting part.

OTHER WORDS FOR length

1 span, stretch, reach, scope, measure.

See synonyms for length on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about length

at length,

in or to the full extent; completely.
after a time; finally: At length there was a step forward in the negotiations.

go to any length / lengths, to disregard any impediment that could prevent one from accomplishing one's purpose: He would go to any lengths to get his own way.

keep at arm's length. arm¹ (def. 17).

Origin of length

First recorded before 900; Middle English length(e),Old English lengthu; cognate with Dutch lengte, Old Norse lengd; see long¹, -th¹

Words nearby length

lend-lease, lend one's ear, Lenexa, L'Enfant, Lenglen, length, length between perpendiculars, lengthen, lengthman, length over all, lengthways

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

How to use length in a sentence

On Friday, the department confirmed that Clarkson was on unpaid leave and that none of his three predecessors had been off for the length of time he had been.
Alaska’s Attorney General Resigns Hours After We Published “Uncomfortable” Texts He Sent to a Younger Colleague|by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News|August 25, 2020|ProPublica
Multicultural viewers identify with sports and especially musicConsumers gravitate towards videos that are culturally relevant to them and this highly correlates with overall viewing lengths.
Multicultural audiences are making nuanced media choices|Vevo|August 25, 2020|Digiday
In contrast, skulls from dingoes in the unbaited region did not significantly change in length over the same time period.
Culling dingoes with poison may be making them bigger|Jake Buehler|August 19, 2020|Science News
The length of the average meeting is down by 20%, according to a new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, which measured how digital communications have changed since workers went on lockdown this year.
The average work meeting is 20% shorter since Covid-19|Sarah Todd|August 3, 2020|Quartz

Trust that the blogger you’re pitching to have done their research and selected a specific length of all submissions for a reason.
Nine mistakes to avoid when contacting websites for backlinks|Raj Dosanjh|July 29, 2020|Search Engine Watch
To his critics, he explained—sometimes at painful length—his reasoning against it.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“It seems that the different standard is (based on) the length of the beard and outwardly display of piety,” Hamdani said.
Disco Mullah Blasphemy Row Highlights Pakistan’s Hypocrisy|Shaheen Pasha|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hitchcock was fascinated when I pointed out the similarity, and considered it at some length.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The camera dollied backward along the length of the tower's staircase while simultaneously its lens zoomed forward.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
People in the comments section were complaining about the length of one of these essays that ran in The New Yorker.
Meghan Daum On Tackling The Unspeakable Parts Of Life|David Yaffe|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It ended on a complaint that she was 'tired rather and spending my time at full length on a deck-chair in the garden.'
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
These sections also have vibrations of their own which are of shorter length and more rapid motion.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
Besides this fundamental or primary vibration, the movement divides itself into segments, or sections, of the entire length.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
At length only four or five flames remained, feebly wavering in their pools of melted wax.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
The experience of the Jesuit fathers at Port Royal is related at length, from their own point of view.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various

British Dictionary definitions for length

length

/ (lɛŋkθ, lɛŋθ) /

noun

the linear extent or measurement of something from end to end, usually being the longest dimension or, for something fixed, the longest horizontal dimension

the extent of something from beginning to end, measured in some more or less regular units or intervalsthe book was 600 pages in length

a specified distance, esp between two positions or locationsthe length of a race

a period of time, as between specified limits or moments

something of a specified, average, or known size or extent measured in one dimension, often used as a unit of measurementa length of cloth

a piece or section of something narrow and longa length of tubing

the quality, state, or fact of being long rather than short

(usually plural) the amount of trouble taken in pursuing or achieving something (esp in the phrase to great lengths)

(often plural) the extreme or limit of action (in phrases such as to any length (s), to what length (s) would someone go, etc)

prosody phonetics the metrical quantity or temporal duration of a vowel or syllable

the distance from one end of a rectangular swimming bath to the otherCompare width (def. 4)

prosody the quality of a vowel, whether stressed or unstressed, that distinguishes it from another vowel of similar articulatory characteristics. Thus (iː) in English beat is of greater length than (ɪ) in English bit

cricket the distance from the batsman at which the ball pitches

bridge a holding of four or more cards in a suit

NZ informal the general idea; the main purpose

at length

in depth; fully
eventually
for a long time; interminably

Word Origin for length

Old English lengthu; related to Middle Dutch lengede, Old Norse lengd

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with length

length

see at arm's length; at length; go to any length.

length

OTHER WORDS FOR length

Idioms about length

Origin of length

Words nearby length

Words related to length

How to use length in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for length

Word Origin for length

Other Idioms and Phrases with length