long
1having considerable linear extent in space: a long distance; a long handle.
having considerable duration in time: a long conversation; a long while.
extending, lasting, or totaling a number of specified units: eight miles long; eight hours long.
containing many items or units: a long list.
requiring a considerable time to relate, read, etc.: a long story.
extending beyond normal or moderate limits: a long, boring speech.
experienced as passing slowly, because of the difficulty, tedium, or unpleasantness involved: long years of study.
reaching well into the past: a long memory.
the longer of two or the longest of several: the long way home; a brick with the long side exposed.
taking a long time; slow: He's certainly long getting here.
forward-looking or considering all aspects; broad: to take a long view of life.
intense, thorough, or critical; seriously appraising: a long look at one's past mistakes.
having an ample supply or endowment of something (often followed by on): to be long on advice; to be long on brains.
having a considerable time to run, as a promissory note.
Chiefly Law. distant or remote in time: a long date.
extending relatively far: a man with a long reach.
being higher or taller than usual: long casement windows.
being against great odds; unlikely: a long chance.
(of beverages) mixed or diluted with a large amount of soda, seltzer, etc.: highballs, collinses, and other long drinks.
(of the head or skull) of more than ordinary length from front to back.
Phonetics.
lasting a relatively long time: “Feed” has a longer sound than “feet” or “fit.”
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 (opposed to short (def. 16b)).
having the sound of the English vowels in mate, meet, mite, mote, moot, and mute, historically descended from vowels that were long in duration.
Prosody. (of a syllable in quantitative verse) lasting a longer time than a short syllable.
Finance. holding or accumulating stocks, futures, commodities, etc., with the expectation of a rise in prices: a long position in chemicals.
Gambling.
marked by a large difference in the numbers of the given betting ratio or in the amounts wagered: long odds.
of or relating to the larger amount bet.
Ceramics. (of clay) very plastic; fat.
a comparatively long time: They haven't been gone for long. Will it take long?
something that is long: The signal was two longs and a short.
a size of garment for men who are taller than average.
a garment, as a suit or overcoat, in this size: The shorts and the longs are hung separately.
Finance. a person who accumulates or holds stocks or commodities with the expectation of a rise in prices.
Music. longa.
for or through a great extent of space or, especially, time: a reform long advocated.
for or throughout a specified extent, especially of time: How long did he stay?
(used elliptically in referring to the length of an absence, delay, etc.): Will she be long?
throughout a specified period of time (usually used to emphasize a preceding noun): It's been muggy all summer long.
at a point of time far distant from the time indicated: long before.
Idioms about long
as long as,
provided that: As long as you can come by six, I'll be here.
seeing that; since: As long as you're going to the grocery anyway, buy me a pint of ice cream.
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.
before long, soon: We should have news of her whereabouts before long.
the long and the short of, the point or gist of; substance of: The long and the short of it is that they will be forced to sell all their holdings.: Also the long and short of.
Origin of long
1Other words for long
| 1 | lengthy, extensive |
| 2 | protracted, prolonged, extended |
| 6 | overlong, wordy, prolix; tedious, boring |
Other words from long
- longly, adverb
- longness, noun
Words that may be confused with long
Words Nearby long
Other definitions for long (2 of 5)
to have an earnest or strong desire or craving; yearn: to long for spring;to long to return home.
Origin of long
2synonym study For long
Other definitions for long (3 of 5)
Archaic. to be suitable or fitting.
Obsolete. to be the possession; belong.
Origin of long
3Other definitions for Long (4 of 5)
Crawford Wil·liam·son [wil-yuhm-suhn], /ˈwɪl yəm sən/, 1815–78, U.S. surgeon.
Hu·ey Pierce [hyoo-ee], /ˈhyu i/, 1893–1935, U.S. politician: governor of Louisiana 1928–31; U.S. senator 1931–35.
Russell B(il·liu) [bil-yoo], /ˈbɪl yu/, 1918–2003, U.S. lawyer and politician: U.S. senator 1948–87 (son of Huey Long).
Stephen Harriman, 1784–1864, U.S. army officer and explorer.
Other definitions for long. (5 of 5)
longitude.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use long in a sentence
The minute-long ads will run on TV and digital platforms, according to the Biden campaign.
Election live updates: Trump returns to Wisconsin; Biden to face live audience at town hall | Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner | September 17, 2020 | Washington PostEnforcing Bastian’s order may be difficult, since some of the policies preceded DeJoy and have been long underway.
Federal judge issues temporary injunction against USPS operational changes amid concerns about mail slowdowns | Elise Viebeck, Jacob Bogage | September 17, 2020 | Washington PostThese explainers may not be on every video—after all, most clips on the platform are 30 seconds long—but you should definitely look for them in the creator’s feed.
Use TikTok to build the perfect workout | Sandra Gutierrez G. | September 17, 2020 | Popular-ScienceShe tested very good for a long period of time, and all of a sudden today she tested positive.
Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine; Biden says Americans shouldn’t trust Trump | Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner | September 16, 2020 | Washington PostWithout that answer, the Clippers now prepare for yet another offseason that will end up being longer than it should have been — exactly what their stars were supposed to insulate them from.
When It Comes To Playoff Disappointment, The Clippers Are In A League Of Their Own | Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com) | September 16, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
In other words, fluoride is a broad-spectrum, bipartisan, long-lasting magnet for dissent.
And they might not have to wait that long to show their political heft.
The plan is to stretch it out as long as possible, then probably forget about it, and then suddenly remember it.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS | Marlow Stern | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTGreat American leaders have long contributed profound thoughts of tremendous consequence to the public discourse.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner! | Olivia Nuzzi | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST“Lockheed Martin has a long history of misrepresenting facts,” Wheeler added.
It was a decayed house of superb proportions, but of a fashion long passed away.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le FanuAs long as may be necessary, Sam,” replied Mr. Pickwick, “you have my full permission to remain.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles DickensAges back—let musty geologists tell us how long ago—'twas a lake, larger than the Lake of Geneva.
I hate to be long at my toilette at any time; but to delay much in such a matter while travelling is folly.
She sat straight up in bed, and jerked her hands to her head, and screamed long and terribly.
The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
British Dictionary definitions for long (1 of 6)
/ (lɒŋ) /
having relatively great extent in space on a horizontal plane
having relatively great duration in time
(postpositive) of a specified number of units in extent or duration: three hours long
(in combination): a two-foot-long line
having or consisting of a relatively large number of items or parts: a long list
having greater than the average or expected range: a long memory
being the longer or longest of alternatives: the long way to the bank
having more than the average or usual quantity, extent, or duration: a long match
seeming to occupy a greater time than is really so: she spent a long afternoon waiting in the departure lounge
intense or thorough (esp in the phrase a long look)
(of drinks) containing a large quantity of nonalcoholic beverage
(of a garment) reaching to the wearer's ankles
informal (foll by on) plentifully supplied or endowed (with): long on good ideas
phonetics (of a speech sound, esp a vowel)
of relatively considerable duration
classified as long, as distinguished from the quality of other vowels
(in popular usage) denoting the qualities of the five English vowels in such words as mate, mete, mite, moat, moot, and mute
from end to end; lengthwise
unlikely to win, happen, succeed, etc: a long chance
prosody
denoting a vowel of relatively great duration or (esp in classical verse) followed by more than one consonant
denoting a syllable containing such a vowel
(in verse that is not quantitative) carrying the emphasis or ictus
finance having or characterized by large holdings of securities or commodities in anticipation of rising prices: a long position
cricket (of a fielding position) near the boundary: long leg
informal (of people) tall and slender
in the long run See run (def. 82)
long in the tooth informal old or ageing
for a certain time or period: how long will it last?
for or during an extensive period of time: long into the next year
at a distant time; quite a bit of time: long before I met you; long ago
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
as long as or so long as
for or during just the length of time that
inasmuch as; since
provided that; if
no longer not any more; formerly but not now
a long time (esp in the phrase for long)
a relatively long thing, such as a signal in Morse code
a clothing size for tall people, esp in trousers
phonetics a long vowel or syllable
finance a person with large holdings of a security or commodity in expectation of a rise in its price; bull
music a note common in medieval music but now obsolete, having the time value of two breves
before long soon
the long and the short of it the essential points or facts
Origin of long
1- See also longs
British Dictionary definitions for long (2 of 6)
/ (lɒŋ) /
(intr; foll by for or an infinitive) to have a strong desire
Origin of long
2British Dictionary definitions for long (3 of 6)
/ (lɒŋ) /
(intr) archaic to belong, appertain, or be appropriate
Origin of long
3British Dictionary definitions for long (4 of 6)
longitude
British Dictionary definitions for Long (5 of 6)
/ (lɒŋ) /
Crawford Williamson. 1815–78, US surgeon. He was the first to use ether as an anaesthetic
British Dictionary definitions for long- (6 of 6)
(in combination) for or lasting a long time: long-awaited; long-established; long-lasting
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 long
In addition to the idioms beginning with long
- long ago
- long and short of it, the
- long arm of the law, the
- long face
- long haul
- long in the tooth
- long shot, a
- long suit
- long time no see
also see:
- as long as
- at (long) last
- before long
- come a long way
- (long) drawn out
- go a long way toward
- happy as the day is long
- in the long run
- make a long story short
- so long
Also see underlonger.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse