long
1 Americanadjective
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having considerable linear extent in space.
a long distance; a long handle.
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having considerable duration in time.
a long conversation; a long while.
- Synonyms:
- extended, protracted
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extending, lasting, or totaling a number of specified units.
eight miles long; eight hours long.
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containing many items or units.
a long list.
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requiring a considerable time to relate, read, etc..
a long story.
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extending beyond normal or moderate limits.
a long, boring speech.
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experienced as passing slowly, because of the difficulty, tedium, or unpleasantness involved.
long years of study.
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reaching well into the past.
a long memory.
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the longer of two or the longest of several.
the long way home; a brick with the long side exposed.
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taking a long time; slow.
He's certainly long getting here.
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forward-looking or considering all aspects; broad.
to take a long view of life.
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intense, thorough, or critical; seriously appraising.
a long look at one's past mistakes.
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having an ample supply or endowment of something (often followed byon ).
to be long on advice; to be long on brains.
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having a considerable time to run, as a promissory note.
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Chiefly Law. distant or remote in time.
a long date.
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extending relatively far.
a man with a long reach.
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being higher or taller than usual.
long casement windows.
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being against great odds; unlikely.
a long chance.
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(of beverages) mixed or diluted with a large amount of soda, seltzer, etc..
highballs, collinses, and other long drinks.
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(of the head or skull) of more than ordinary length from front to back.
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Phonetics.
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lasting a relatively long time.
“Feed” has a longer sound than “feet” or “fit.”
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belonging to a class of sounds considered as usually longer in duration than another class, as the vowel of bought as compared to that of but, and in many languages serving as a distinctive feature of phonemes, as the ah in German Bahn in contrast with the a in Bann, or the tt in Italian fatto in contrast with the t in fato (short ).
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having the sound of the English vowels in mate, meet, mite, mote, moot, and mute, historically descended from vowels that were long in duration.
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Prosody. (of a syllable in quantitative verse) lasting a longer time than a short syllable.
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Finance. holding or accumulating stocks, futures, commodities, etc., with the expectation of a rise in prices.
a long position in chemicals.
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Gambling.
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marked by a large difference in the numbers of the given betting ratio or in the amounts wagered.
long odds.
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of or relating to the larger amount bet.
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Ceramics. (of clay) very plastic; fat.
noun
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a comparatively long time.
They haven't been gone for long. Will it take long?
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something that is long.
The signal was two longs and a short.
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a size of garment for men who are taller than average.
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a garment, as a suit or overcoat, in this size.
The shorts and the longs are hung separately.
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Finance. a person who accumulates or holds stocks or commodities with the expectation of a rise in prices.
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Music. longa.
adverb
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for or through a great extent of space or, especially, time.
a reform long advocated.
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for or throughout a specified extent, especially of time.
How long did he stay?
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(used elliptically in referring to the length of an absence, delay, etc.).
Will she be long?
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throughout a specified period of time (usually used to emphasize a preceding noun).
It's been muggy all summer long.
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at a point of time far distant from the time indicated.
long before.
idioms
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before long, soon.
We should have news of her whereabouts before long.
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the long and the short of, the point or gist of; substance of: Also the long and short of.
The long and the short of it is that they will be forced to sell all their holdings.
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as long as,
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provided that.
As long as you can come by six, I'll be here.
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seeing that; since.
As long as you're going to the grocery anyway, buy me a pint of ice cream.
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Also so long as. during the time that; through the period that.
As long as we were neighbors, they never invited us inside their house.
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verb (used without object)
verb (used without object)
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Archaic. to be suitable or fitting.
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Obsolete. to be the possession; belong.
noun
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Crawford Williamson 1815–78, U.S. surgeon.
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Huey Pierce 1893–1935, U.S. politician: governor of Louisiana 1928–31; U.S. senator 1931–35.
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Russell B(illiu) 1918–2003, U.S. lawyer and politician: U.S. senator 1948–87 (son of Huey Long).
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Stephen Harriman, 1784–1864, U.S. army officer and explorer.
abbreviation
adjective
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having relatively great extent in space on a horizontal plane
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having relatively great duration in time
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(postpositive) of a specified number of units in extent or duration
three hours long
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( in combination )
a two-foot-long line
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having or consisting of a relatively large number of items or parts
a long list
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having greater than the average or expected range
a long memory
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being the longer or longest of alternatives
the long way to the bank
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having more than the average or usual quantity, extent, or duration
a long match
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seeming to occupy a greater time than is really so
she spent a long afternoon waiting in the departure lounge
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intense or thorough (esp in the phrase a long look )
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(of drinks) containing a large quantity of nonalcoholic beverage
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(of a garment) reaching to the wearer's ankles
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informal (foll by on) plentifully supplied or endowed (with)
long on good ideas
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phonetics
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of relatively considerable duration
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classified as long, as distinguished from the quality of other vowels
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(in popular usage) denoting the qualities of the five English vowels in such words as mate, mete, mite, moat, moot, and mute
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from end to end; lengthwise
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unlikely to win, happen, succeed, etc
a long chance
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prosody
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denoting a vowel of relatively great duration or (esp in classical verse) followed by more than one consonant
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denoting a syllable containing such a vowel
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(in verse that is not quantitative) carrying the emphasis or ictus
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finance having or characterized by large holdings of securities or commodities in anticipation of rising prices
a long position
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cricket (of a fielding position) near the boundary
long leg
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informal (of people) tall and slender
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See run
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informal old or ageing
adverb
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for a certain time or period
how long will it last?
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for or during an extensive period of time
long into the next year
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at a distant time; quite a bit of time
long before I met you
long ago
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finance into a position with more security or commodity holdings than are required by sale contracts and therefore dependent on rising prices for profit
to go long
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for or during just the length of time that
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inasmuch as; since
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provided that; if
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not any more; formerly but not now
noun
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a long time (esp in the phrase for long )
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a relatively long thing, such as a signal in Morse code
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a clothing size for tall people, esp in trousers
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phonetics a long vowel or syllable
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finance a person with large holdings of a security or commodity in expectation of a rise in its price; bull
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music a note common in medieval music but now obsolete, having the time value of two breves
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soon
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the essential points or facts
noun
verb
verb
abbreviation
adverb
Related Words
See yearn.
Other Word Forms
- longly adverb
- longness noun
Etymology
Origin of long1
First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective longe, Old English lang, long; cognate with Dutch, German lang, Old Norse langr, Gothic langs, Latin longus; noun, adverb, derivative of the adjective
Origin of long2
First recorded before 900; Middle English longen, Old English langian “grow longer, yearn after, summon”; long 1
Origin of long3
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English longen “to be suitable, fitting, or proper,” derivative of long “attributable (to), dependent (on),” Old English gelang “belonging (to), dependent (on)”; belong, along
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.
Our critic praised it as “a revelatory overview of a remarkable woman’s long working life.”
Those words have long been understood to grant automatic birthright citizenship with only a few narrow exceptions.
It knows how long it takes you to fall asleep and reports alleged wakeups in the middle of the night.
I typically ran into the bug when typing at my fastest, or after a long string of mistyped letters.
Unilever’s food unit has long played second fiddle to personal care.
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.
