long-acting

American

[lawng-ak-ting, long-] / ˈlɔŋˈæk tɪŋ, ˈlɒŋ- /

adjective

Pharmacology.

sustained-release.

long-acting British

adjective

(of a drug) slowly effective after initial dosage, but maintaining its effects over a long period of time, being slowly absorbed and persisting in the tissues before being excreted Compare intermediate-acting short-acting

"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

Etymology

Origin of long-acting

First recorded in 1950–55

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:

long-acting

Insulin glargine refers to a long-acting, synthetic analog of human insulin which is used to keep blood sugar levels steady for a full 24 hours.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

If a patient’s body is already producing GLP-1 at normal or elevated levels, prescribing a long-acting agonist isn’t correcting a deficit; it may be amplifying a signal that’s already there.

From Slate ● Mar. 22, 2026

Some of the women decided to take a long-acting contraceptive method, instead of the birth control pills, because they were worried about funding being cut again, she added.

From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2026

New drug developments include long-acting GLP1s, non-GLP1s, and amylin-based treatments, offering alternatives for patients.

From Barron's ● Jan. 12, 2026

Maternal vaccination during the third trimester of pregnancy and passive immunization of newborns using long-acting antibodies are being rolled out in many countries.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023