long
adjective
having considerable linear extent in space.
long
1 American
[lawng, long]
/ lɔŋ, lɒŋ /
adjective
-
longer,
comparative
-
longest
superlative
-
having considerable linear extent in space.
a long distance; a long handle.
-
having considerable duration in time.
a long conversation; a long while.
- Synonyms:
- extended, protracted
-
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 byon ).
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).
-
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.
noun
-
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.
adverb
-
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
-
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: Also the long and short of.
The long and the short of it is that they will be forced to sell all their holdings.
-
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.
-
long
2
American
[lawng, long]
/ lɔŋ, lɒŋ /
verb (used without object)
long
3
American
[lawng, long]
/ lɔŋ, lɒŋ /
verb (used without object)
-
Archaic. to be suitable or fitting.
-
Obsolete. to be the possession; belong.
Long
4
American
[lawng, long]
/ lɔŋ, lɒŋ /
noun
-
Crawford Williamson 1815–78, U.S. surgeon.
-
Huey Pierce 1893–1935, U.S. politician: governor of Louisiana 1928–31; U.S. senator 1931–35.
-
Russell B(illiu) 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.
long.
5
American
abbreviation
long
1
British
/ lɒŋ /
adjective
-
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 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
-
See run
-
informal old or ageing
adverb
-
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
-
-
for or during just the length of time that
-
inasmuch as; since
-
provided that; if
-
-
not any more; formerly but not now
noun
-
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
-
soon
-
the essential points or facts
Long
2
British
/ lɒŋ /
noun
long
3
British
/ lɒŋ /
verb
long
4
British
/ lɒŋ /
verb
long
5
British
abbreviation
long-
6
British
adverb
long
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
See yearn.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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”; see 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)”; see origin at belong, along
Explanation
To strongly crave or desire something is to long for it. No matter how healthful your diet is, you'll still occasionally long for chocolate, cookies, and cake. The adjective long describes something that stretches over a large distance. If you're trying to avoid a prolonged visit with your crazy Aunt Martha, you might decide to take the long way to her house. The adjective long also describes something that lasts for an extended amount of time. When your Aunt Martha comes to your house, a half-hour can seem like a long, long time.
Vocabulary lists containing long
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.
See Examples For:
“There is no prison sentence long enough to erase the damage,” Doe said during the sentencing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
And how long will it be before this saga does come to an end?
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
A long fight is brewing over whether AIs are conscious and have rights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
It also means that over long terms, particularly the full life of the bond, you are taking on inflation risk.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
As long as I could remember we’d come here to get away from everyone.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Van Dyk said that change evolved from talks with Long Beach Transit, which revealed that buses would sometimes get hit when pulling into traffic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Police Chief Jeffrey Long arrived with two officers and, alarmed by the crowd, enlisted three more—bringing the total to six, the report said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The bike lanes and streets won’t uniformly connect, but there will be more of them — Artesia Boulevard to service Jordan High, Clark Avenue near Long Beach City College and now Studebaker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Ms. Brauer, a scrappy, dyslexic young woman from a working-class Long Island, N.Y., family, discovered boating in college.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
“He’s Alex, my twin brother. Long story. Alex, this is JP, my best friend.”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
“It’s new, it’s fresh, the neighborhood is going to benefit. It’s been a total pothole disaster for so long. … Even though there are catches and hooks, it’s still worth it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
"The ground there is cracked, and the cracks are long. That is why this area would be very dangerous if another earthquake as strong follows," he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
"Fungi have been ignored in climate and conservation for too long. Now is the time to change that trajectory."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 15, 2026
"We wanted him for so long. Obviously, we took a risk. But it was so worth it."
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
“That’s what my mother says. But it seems long. And Justin might marry somebody else.”
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
How do you balance long- and short-term risk and reward?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
When the short-term moving average moves above a long- term counterpart, some technical traders would rather sell into the rallies than buy the dips, Razaqzada at FOREX.com noted.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
The long- delayed MV Glen Rosa is expected to be ready by the end of June next year, and is earmarked to join its sister ship MV Glen Sannox on the Arran route.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2025
Working in combination, the bonds and the insurance, “help us meet our long- and short-term liabilities.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2025
He paused beside a pillar, before the tomb of a long- dead Stark.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
But Cage is no longer with us, and “Organ2/ASLSP” now has a marvelous life of its own.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
The new cost means it will no longer be the most expensive college in Montana, based on published tuition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
England scrum-half Natasha Hunt says it is no longer possible to satisfy fans' post-match requests for selfies and autographs, given the Red Roses' success and growth over the past decade.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
In the second quarter of 2026, a record 36.5% of all financed new-vehicle buyers signed a loan of 73 months — more than six years — or longer, according to Edmunds data.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
She will no longer tell the truth about where she’s been or what she’s done.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The longest amount of time it took me to find my clients was about a day or two.
From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2026
Del, who’s been with the program the longest, can shape-shift from teen girl to teen boy as required.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Even in our longest relationships, we can still harbor assumptions.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
The sleeper race for Democrats is Kansas, which last elected a Democratic senator in 1932, the longest streak for either party in any state.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
That was the longest night of my life.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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.
