length

American  

[lengkth, length, lenth] / lɛŋkθ, lɛŋθ, lɛnθ /

noun

• lengths
  plural

1. the longest extent of anything as measured from end to end.

   the length of a river.

   Synonyms:

   measure, scope, reach, stretch, span

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

3. extent from beginning to end of a series, enumeration, account, book, etc..

   a report running 300 pages in length.

4. extent in time; duration.

   the length of a battle.

5. a distance determined by the extent of something specified.

   Hold the picture at arm's length.

6. a piece or portion of a certain or a known extent.

   a length of rope.

7. the quality or state of being long rather than short.

   a journey remarkable for its length.

8. the extent to which a person might or would go in pursuing something.

   He went to great lengths to get what he wanted.

9. a large extent or expanse of something.

10. the measure from end to end of a horse, boat, etc., as a unit of distance in racing.

    The horse won by two lengths.

11. 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.

12. Prosody, Phonetics.

    1. (of a vowel or syllable) quantity, whether long or short.

    2. the quality of vowels.

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

14. Theater Archaic. 42 lines of an acting part.

---

idioms

1. keep at arm's length. arm.

2. 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.

3. at length,

   1. in or to the full extent; completely.

   2. after a time; finally.

      At length there was a step forward in the negotiations.

length British  

/ lɛŋθ, lɛŋkθ /

noun

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

2. the extent of something from beginning to end, measured in some more or less regular units or intervals

   the book was 600 pages in length

3. a specified distance, esp between two positions or locations

   the length of a race

4. a period of time, as between specified limits or moments

5. something of a specified, average, or known size or extent measured in one dimension, often used as a unit of measurement

   a length of cloth

6. a piece or section of something narrow and long

   a length of tubing

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

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

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

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

11. the distance from one end of a rectangular swimming bath to the other Compare width

12. 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

13. cricket the distance from the batsman at which the ball pitches

14. bridge a holding of four or more cards in a suit

15. informal the general idea; the main purpose

16. 1. in depth; fully

    2. eventually

    3. for a long time; interminably

---

length More Idioms  

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• lengths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of length

First recorded before 900; Middle English length(e), Old English lengthu; cognate with Dutch lengte, Old Norse lengd; see long ¹, -th ¹

Explanation

Length is a measurement of how long something is in time or space. You can measure the length of a table or the length of a movie. If an object has multiple distances to be measured (like a rectangle for example), then length is taken to be the longest of the measurements (as opposed to the width, in the case of the rectangle). Before babies learn to walk, they are measured for length, but once they begin to stand reliably the same measurement changes names, and become height.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

length lengths

Here are some of our favorite reader responses, edited for length and clarity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

For Albano, Trent Park is "on a par in terms of the military intelligence that was gained and... was used by the British government to shorten the length of the Second World War".

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

More than a dozen states, including California, Colorado, Maine and Washington, have passed laws expanding FMLA’s protections, by including more family members or extending the length of job-protected time off.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

The creature measured only around 2-3 cm in length.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

Lord Fredrick rose and paced the length of his study.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

In the second incident, a more advanced AI went to extreme lengths to carry out an attack.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

Budget hotel Circus Circus, owned by billionaire Phil Ruffin, has gone to great lengths to keep its buffet afloat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

He spotted the field several lengths but rallied to capture the 1 1/16-mile race for his first victory in five starts since winning the Haskell Stakes last July at Monmouth Park.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

On the other side, recruiters and talent-acquisition professionals say they need to go to new lengths to check whether candidates are as well qualified as they claim — or if they even exist.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

She rummaged through a stack of lumber, brought several long, narrow pieces over to a pair of sawhorses, and began sawing them into paired lengths.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker

Related Words

• breadth
• diameter
• dimension
• duration
• height
• limit
• magnitude
• mileage
• period
• piece
• portion
• quantity
• radius
• range
• section
• segment
• space
• span
• stretch
• term