longstanding
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of longstanding
Explanation
Anything longstanding has been around for a long time. If it's a longstanding tradition for your school's senior class to play a prank, that means it was even going on back when your grandfather's class let hundreds of crickets loose in the halls. Humans keeping cats as pets is a longstanding custom, and the habit of cooking food before eating it is also longstanding. You can call yourself a longstanding customer of your town's last remaining video store if you've been going there for years, or a longstanding fan of your favorite tennis player if you've followed her entire career. The adjective longstanding has been around since the early 1800s, so it's longstanding too.
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.
At the same time, the government will begin to phase out some longstanding student-loan repayment plans and launch a new one starting in July.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 18, 2026
A major new study led by Yale University is helping fill a longstanding gap in genetics research by providing one of the most comprehensive examinations yet of human genetic diversity in Oceania.
From Science Daily • Jun. 14, 2026
The seven-bout card was arranged between Trump and his longstanding friend Dana White, UFC president.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
The Cornell connection at SpaceX is striking, but it also reflects the company’s longstanding commitment to hiring people steeped in practical skills, and not just prowess in the classroom.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026
Recent breakthroughs in physics, made possible in part by fantastic new technologies, suggest answers to some of these longstanding questions.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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.
