long

[ lawng, long ]

/ lɔŋ, lɒŋ /

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See synonyms for long on Thesaurus.com

adjective, long·er

[lawng-ger, long-], /ˈlɔŋ gər, ˈlɒŋ-/, long·est

[lawng-gist, long-]. /ˈlɔŋ gɪst, ˈlɒŋ-/.

having 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.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR long

1 lengthy, extensive.

2 protracted, prolonged, extended.

6 overlong, wordy, prolix; tedious, boring.

See synonyms for long on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

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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

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

OTHER WORDS FROM long

longly, adverblongness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH long

long , longe, lounge, lunge

Words nearby long

lone pair, loner, lonesome, Lone Star State, lone wolf, long, longa, long account, long-acting, long-ago, longan

Other definitions for long (2 of 5)

long²

[ lawng, long ]

/ lɔŋ, lɒŋ /

verb (used without object)

to have an earnest or strong desire or craving; yearn: to long for spring;to long to return home.

Origin of long

First recorded before 900; Middle English longen, Old English langian “grow longer, yearn after, summon”; see long¹

synonym study for long

See yearn.

Other definitions for long (3 of 5)

long³

[ lawng, long ]

/ lɔŋ, lɒŋ /

verb (used without object)

Archaic. to be suitable or fitting.

Obsolete. to be the possession; belong.

Origin of long

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

Other definitions for long (4 of 5)

Long

[ lawng, long ]

/ lɔŋ, lɒŋ /

noun

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)

long.

abbreviation

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 Post
Enforcing 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 Post
These 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-Science
She 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 Post

Without 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.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
And they might not have to wait that long to show their political heft.
Asian-Americans Are The New Florida|Tim Mak|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Great 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|DAILY BEAST
“Lockheed Martin has a long history of misrepresenting facts,” Wheeler added.
Pentagon Misfires in Stealth Jet Scandal|Dave Majumdar|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was a decayed house of superb proportions, but of a fashion long passed away.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
As 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 Dickens
Ages back—let musty geologists tell us how long ago—'twas a lake, larger than the Lake of Geneva.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
I hate to be long at my toilette at any time; but to delay much in such a matter while travelling is folly.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
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)

long¹

/ (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 durationthree hours long
(in combination)a two-foot-long line

having or consisting of a relatively large number of items or partsa long list

having greater than the average or expected rangea long memory

being the longer or longest of alternativesthe long way to the bank

having more than the average or usual quantity, extent, or durationa long match

seeming to occupy a greater time than is really soshe 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, etca 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 pricesa long position

cricket (of a fielding position) near the boundarylong leg

informal (of people) tall and slender

in the long run See run (def. 82)

long in the tooth informal old or ageing

adverb

for a certain time or periodhow long will it last?

for or during an extensive period of timelong into the next year

at a distant time; quite a bit of timelong 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 profitto 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

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

before long soon

the long and the short of it the essential points or facts

Word Origin for long

Old English lang; related to Old High German lang, Old Norse langr, Latin longus

British Dictionary definitions for long (2 of 6)

long²

/ (lɒŋ) /

verb

(intr; foll by for or an infinitive) to have a strong desire

Word Origin for long

Old English langian; related to long 1

British Dictionary definitions for long (3 of 6)

long³

/ (lɒŋ) /

verb

(intr) archaic to belong, appertain, or be appropriate

Word Origin for long

Old English langian to belong, from gelang at hand, belonging to; compare along

British Dictionary definitions for long (4 of 6)

long⁴

abbreviation for

longitude

British Dictionary definitions for long (5 of 6)

Long

/ (lɒŋ) /

noun

Crawford Williamson. 1815–78, US surgeon. He was the first to use ether as an anaesthetic

British Dictionary definitions for long (6 of 6)

long-

adverb

(in combination) for or lasting a long timelong-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

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.

long

OTHER WORDS FOR long

Idioms about long

Origin of long

OTHER WORDS FROM long

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH long

Words nearby long

Other definitions for long (2 of 5)

Origin of long

synonym study for long

Other definitions for long (3 of 5)

Origin of long

Other definitions for long (4 of 5)

Other definitions for long (5 of 5)

Words related to long

How to use long in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for long (1 of 6)

Word Origin for long

British Dictionary definitions for long (2 of 6)

Word Origin for long

British Dictionary definitions for long (3 of 6)

Word Origin for long

British Dictionary definitions for long (4 of 6)

British Dictionary definitions for long (5 of 6)

British Dictionary definitions for long (6 of 6)

Other Idioms and Phrases with long