so long

American  

interjection

Informal.

1. goodbye.

   I said so long and left.

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so long British  

1. informal farewell; goodbye

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adverb

1. slang for the time being; meanwhile

so long Idioms  

1. Good-bye, as in So long, we'll see you next week. The allusion here is puzzling; long presumably means “a long time” and perhaps the sense is “until we meet again after a long time,” but the usage has no such implication. [Colloquial; first half of 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of so long

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

“Thank you for letting us be a part of this community for so long and we hope to be able to continue to be a part of it.”

From Salon

Julian has blood cancer, a condition that is “incurable but manageable” so long as it is “fed a daily dose of chemo to keep it happy.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“Obex” also reminds us that the power to be positively emboldened by tech — rather than imprisoned by it — always will be in humans’ hands, so long as we remember that we always can unplug.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s been so long since civilization collapsed that Sir Lord Jimmy’s followers will believe anything, even his tales about being the son of the Devil, whom he calls “Old Nick.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Being away for so long was a new experience for the actor, although she did live in Sicily while making the second season of “The White Lotus.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• goodbye
• send-off
• sendoff