long COVID

American

[lawng koh-vid, long] / ˈlɔŋ ˈkoʊ vɪd, ˈlɒŋ /

Or long Covid

noun

Pathology.

a condition characterized by symptoms or health problems that linger or first appear after supposed recovery from an acute phase of COVID-19 infection.

Symptoms of long COVID can vary widely and include cough, low-grade fever, fatigue, chest pain, shortness of breath, headaches, and gastrointestinal upset.

Etymology

Origin of long COVID

Coined by British archaeologist Elisa Perego in 2020

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.

Findings from a large study led by Mass General Brigham suggest scientists should continue investigating whether vitamin D supplements could influence long COVID.

From Science Daily • Mar. 15, 2026

County residents living with the complex, chronic condition known as long COVID, the emergency has never ended.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2026

She added that verifying the hypothesis would require large epidemiological studies and animal research, yet this work is made more difficult by the lack of reliable animal models for long COVID.

From Science Daily • Dec. 14, 2025

No causal relationship has been confirmed between any co-infection and long COVID.

From Science Daily • Dec. 14, 2025

She illuminates long COVID, which has rattled the lives of so many.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2025

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