long-term
Americanadjective
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covering a relatively long period of time.
a long-term lease.
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maturing over or after a relatively long period of time.
a long-term loan; a long-term bond.
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(of a capital gain or loss) derived from the sale or exchange of an asset held for more than a specified time, as six months or one year.
adjective
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lasting, staying, or extending over a long time
long-term prospects
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finance maturing after a long period of time
a long-term bond
Etymology
Origin of long-term
First recorded in 1905–10
Explanation
Something that's long-term has lasted for quite a while. If you have a long-term girlfriend, she's been in your life for years. Use the adjective long-term to describe things that are so enduring that they're nearly permanent. Someone who's a long-term resident of Canada has lived there for a very long time, and news of long-term unemployment is discouraging because it means people have been out of work for months and months. Long-term was originally a word describing only insurance policies, in the 1870's.
Vocabulary lists containing long-term
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.
EMDR, his research found, was most effective in reducing symptoms long-term.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Franco’s situation serves as a cautionary tale for MLB teams that hand out long-term contracts years before players become free agents.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
While energy stocks have benefited from higher oil and natural-gas prices since the Iran war began, pipelines tend to be somewhat insulated from price swings because they often operate on long-term contracts with producers,
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
Donors are vital for securing a steady supply of blood for cancer patients, new mothers, those living with long-term conditions such as sickle cell disease, as well as during emergencies.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
It was while he was at the Military School at Breda that Descartes met the mathematician Isaac Beeckman, of Dordrecht, who introduced him to higher aspects of mathematics and became a long-term friend.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
