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.
Regardless of how stocks are categorized, the above table supports the notion that for long-term investors building up nest eggs, stocks have outperformed bonds by wide margins.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026
“In a long-term partnership with GMP we will continue BMG’s growth trajectory in the dynamic and fast-growing global music market.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
The UAE said the decision reflected its "long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile".
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
The European Parliament on Tuesday threw its weight behind a more ambitious and bigger long-term EU budget, demanding new taxes to ramp up future spending.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
He got interested in Britney Harron—“me and Brit were talking,” as he puts it—but didn’t move quickly enough, and she ended up with a long-term boyfriend.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
