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.
The Environment Agency says the testing regime helps "build a detailed, accurate long-term profile of a site to inform the public's decision of where to visit".
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Yum Brands Chief Financial Officer Ranjith Roy said the brand has a long-term growth opportunity in the U.S. of more than 10,000 stores.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
The Cambridge, Mass., company said lower Covid-19 vaccine sales in the U.S. and South America were offset by deliveries in the U.K., made under a long-term government partnership.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
To qualify for SSDI, you must have sufficient work history and a severe, long-term disability.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
She was now on long-term disability from Kalbro, where she’d worked on the line for fifteen years or something like that.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
