Word forms: comparative longer (lɒŋgəʳ, US lɔːŋgər), superlative longest (lɒŋgɪst, US lɔːŋgɪst)
1. adverb [ADVERB with verb]
Long means a great amount of time or for a great amount of time.
Repairs to the cable did not take too long.
Have you known her parents long?
I learned long ago to avoid these invitations.
The railway had obviously been built long after the house.
Chess has long been regarded as a measure of intellect.
...long-established social traditions.
See for long
2. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A long event or period of time lasts for a great amount of time or takes a great amountof time.
We had a long meeting with the attorney general.
She is planning a long holiday in Egypt and America.
They sat looking at each other for a long while.
He must have started writing his book a long time ago.
3. adverb
You use long to ask or talk about amounts of time.
How long have you lived around here?
He has been on a diet for as long as any of his friends can remember.
She reflected no longer than a second before she decisively slit the envelope.
Long is also an adjective.
How long is the usual stay in hospital?
The average commuter journey there is five hours long.
Long is also a combining form.
She'd just returned from a month-long visit to Egypt.
4. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A long speech, book, film, or list contains a lot of information or a lot of items and takes a lot of time to listen to, read, watch, or deal with.
He was making quite a long speech.
This is a long film, three hours and seven minutes.
Synonyms: prolonged, slow, dragging, sustained More Synonyms of long
5. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
If you describe a period of time or work as long, you mean it lasts for more hours or days than is usual, or seems to last for more time than it actually does.
Go to sleep. I've got a long day tomorrow.
She was a TV reporter and worked long hours.
This has been the longest week of my life.
6. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
If someone has a long memory, they are able to remember things that happened far back in the past.
7. adverb [noun ADVERB]
Long is used in expressions such as all year long, the whole day long, and your whole life long to say and emphasize that something happens for the whole of a particular period of time.
[emphasis]
We played that record all night long.
Snow is sometimes found all summer long upon the highest peaks.
long distance and size
(lɒŋ, US lɔːŋ)
Word forms: comparative longer (lɒŋgəʳ, US lɔːŋgər), superlative longest (lɒŋgɪst, US lɔːŋgɪst)
1. adjective
Something that is long measures a great distance from one end to the other.
...a long table.
A long line of people formed outside the doctor's office.
Her hair was long and dark.
Her legs were long and thin.
Synonyms: elongated, extended, stretched, expanded More Synonyms of long
2. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A long distance is a great distance. A long journey or route covers a great distance.
His destination was Chobham Common, a long way from his Cotswold home.
The long journey tired him.
I went for a long walk.
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
A long piece of clothing covers the whole of someone's legs or more of their legs than usual.Clothes with long sleeves cover the whole of someone's arms.
She is wearing a long black dress.
...a long-sleeved blouse.
4. adjective [asADJas]
You use long to talk or ask about the distance something measures from one end to the other.
An eight-week-old embryo is only an inch long.
How long is the tunnel?
In the roots of the olives, you could find centipedes as long as a pencil.
Long is also a combining form.
...a three-foot-long gash in the tanker's side.
5. graded adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
If you describe a distance as long, you mean it seems to be greater than it actually is.
It was five long miles to the nearest pub.
long phrases
(lɒŋ, US lɔːŋ)
Word forms: comparative longer (lɒŋgəʳ, US lɔːŋgər)
1.
See as long as
2.
See won't be long
3.
See before long
4.
See long live/ long may
5.
See no longer
6.
See so long
7. as long as your arm
8. by a long chalk
9. a long face
10. at long last
11. in the long run
12. a long shot
13. in the long term
14. long in the tooth
15. to take the long view
16. to go a long way
long verb uses
(lɒŋ, US lɔːŋ)
Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense longs, present participle longing, past tense, past participle longed
1. verb
If you longfor something, you want it very much.
Steve longed for the good old days. [VERB + for]
I'm longing to meet her. [VERB to-infinitive]
He longed for the winter to be over. [VERB + for]
Synonyms: desire, want, wish, burn More Synonyms of long
2. See also longing
long in British English1
(lɒŋ)
adjective
1.
having relatively great extent in space on a horizontal plane
2.
having relatively great duration in time
3.
a. (postpositive)
of a specified number of units in extent or duration
three hours long
b.
(in combination)
a two-foot-long line
4.
having or consisting of a relatively large number of items or parts
a long list
5.
having greater than the average or expected range
a long memory
6.
being the longer or longest of alternatives
the long way to the bank
7.
having more than the average or usual quantity, extent, or duration
a long match
8.
seeming to occupy a greater time than is really so
she spent a long afternoon waiting in the departure lounge
9.
intense or thorough (esp in the phrase a long look)
10.
(of drinks) containing a large quantity of nonalcoholic beverage
11.
(of a garment) reaching to the wearer's ankles
12. informal(foll by on)
plentifully supplied or endowed (with)
long on good ideas
13. phonetics(of a speech sound, esp a vowel)
a.
of relatively considerable duration
b.
classified as long, as distinguished from the quality of other vowels
c.
(in popular usage) denoting the qualities of the five English vowels in such words as mate, mete, mite, moat, moot, and mute
14.
from end to end; lengthwise
15.
unlikely to win, happen, succeed, etc
a long chance
16. prosody
a.
denoting a vowel of relatively great duration or (esp in classical verse) followed by more than one consonant
b.
denoting a syllable containing such a vowel
c.
(in verse that is not quantitative) carrying the emphasis or ictus
17. finance
having or characterized by large holdings of securities or commodities in anticipation of rising prices
a long position
18. cricket
(of a fielding position) near the boundary
long leg
19. informal
(of people) tall and slender
20. in the long run
21. long in the tooth
adverb
22.
for a certain time or period
how long will it last?
23.
for or during an extensive period of time
long into the next year
24.
at a distant time; quite a bit of time
long before I met you
long ago
25. finance
into a position with more security or commodity holdings than are required by salecontracts and therefore dependent on rising prices for profit
to go long
26. as long as
27. no longer
noun
28.
a long time (esp in the phrase for long)
29.
a relatively long thing, such as a signal in Morse code
30.
a clothing size for tall people, esp in trousers
31. phonetics
a long vowel or syllable
32. finance
a person with large holdings of a security or commodity in expectation of a rise in its price; bull
33. music
a note common in medieval music but now obsolete, having the time value of two breves
34. before long
35. the long and the short of it
Word origin
Old English lang; related to Old High German lang, Old Norse langr, Latin longus
long in British English2
(lɒŋ)
verb
(intr; foll by for or an infinitive)
to have a strong desire
Word origin
Old English langian; related to long1
long in British English3
(lɒŋ)
verb
(intransitive) archaic
to belong, appertain, or be appropriate
Word origin
Old English langian to belong, from gelang at hand, belonging to; compare along
long in British English4
abbreviation for
longitude
longitude in British English4
(ˈlɒndʒɪˌtjuːd, ˈlɒŋɡ-)
noun
1.
distance in degrees east or west of the prime meridian at 0° measured by the angle between the plane of the prime meridian and that of themeridian through the point in question, or by the corresponding time difference
latitude (sense 1)
2. astronomy short for celestial longitude
Long in British English
(lɒŋ)
noun
Crawford Williamson. 1815–78, US surgeon. He was the first to use ether as an anaesthetic
long- in British English
adverb
(in combination)
for or lasting a long time
long-awaited
long-established
long-lasting
Long in American English
(lɔŋ)
ˈHuey (Pierce) (ˈhjui) 1893-1935; U.S. political leader: assassinated
: called (the) Kingfish
long in American English1
(lɔŋ)
adjective
1.
measuring much from end to end in space or from beginning to end in time; not short or brief
2.
measured from end to end rather than from side to side
the long dimension
3.
of a specified extent in length
a foot long
4.
of greater than usual or standard length, height, quantity, etc.
a long game, a long window, a long ton
5.
containing many items or members
said of a series, list, etc.
6.
overextended in length
7.
taking too much time; tedious; slow
8.
extending to what is distant in space or time; far-reaching
a long view of the matter
9.
large; big
the long odds of 100 to 1, to take a long chance
10.
having an abundance of
with of or on
long on excuses
11. US, Finance
holding a commodity or security in anticipation of a rise in price
12.
a. Phonetics
lasting for a relatively long time
said of a speech sound
b. Popularly
diphthongized
the long a in “pain”
see also short (sense 13) short (sense 13b)
13. Prosody
a.
requiring a relatively long time to pronounce
said of syllables in quantitative verse
b.
stressed
said of syllables in accentual verse
adverb
14.
for a long time
15.
for the duration of; from the beginning to the end
all day long
16.
at a much earlier or a much later time than the time indicated; remotely
to stay long after midnight
noun
17.
a variation of clothing size longer than the average for that size
18. [pl.]
long pants
19.
a signal, syllable, etc. of long duration
20.
a long time
it won't take long to finish the work
Idioms:
as long as
before long
the long and (the) short of
Word origin
ME < OE, akin to Ger lang < Gmc *lango- > ON langr, Goth laggs: ? akin to L longus
long in American English2
(lɔŋ)
verb intransitive
to feel a strong yearning; wish earnestly
to long to go home, to long for affection
Word origin
ME longen < OE langian (akin to Ger langen, to reach, extend) < base of lang: see long1
long in American English3
(lɔŋ)
verb intransitive
Archaic
to be fitting or appropriate
Word origin
ME longen < OE langian, to belong
long in American English4
longitude
More idioms containing
long
honest as the day is long
over the long haul
a long haul
be in something for the long haul
kick something into the long grass
have a long face
by a long chalk
be long on one thing and short on another
long as your arm
cast a long shadow over something
by a long shot
a long shot
to cut a long story short
something is someone's long suit
be long in the tooth
go back a long way
not long for this world
Examples of 'long' in a sentence
long
Worse was the cliché that older people were no longer creative or innovative.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They would allow you to assess the worker over a longer period.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But our holiday had sparked something that was long dead.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
These cheaper options gave students a gentle nudge through a door they had long wanted to open.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Those early years are now long gone.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Those two arguments have been around a long time.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He is ready to end a long losing run.
The Sun (2017)
This has long since got out of hand.
The Sun (2016)
Tweet of the day This could be a long winter.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The reason why people no longer join political parties he suggests is simple.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
People keep to themselves and are often away at other homes for long periods.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Wives are around a lot longer than your sporting years.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Why has it taken so long to decide something is wrong?
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Why the relatively long hiatus between albums?
The Sun (2013)
Yet those ends are no longer his own.
Arthur Herman THE SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT: The Scots' Invention of the Modern World (2002)
They put in a good long winter stint of sleep.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
But that might not be possible for much longer.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
My friend has long since surpassed my ambitions and abilities.
Christianity Today (2000)
Your own initials seemed no longer to be enough.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You could also either swing longer or use a more powerful club.
Lewis, Beverly Winning Golf for Women (1993)
He was determined to go and visit when he heard she might not have long to live.
The Sun (2015)
We regret insurance can no longer be booked with postal applications.
The Sun (2016)
If their files are misplaced it can take a very long time.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The match itself would have put most people off the game for a lot longer than that.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
We have come such a long way.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The system of constantly raising seat prices was no longer working.
Susie Gilbert and Jay Shir A TALE OF FOUR HOUSES: Opera at Covent Garden, La Scala, Vienna and the Met since1945 (2003)
The whole place had the air of somewhere tidied before a long journey.
Marsden, Philip The Crossing-Place (1993)
Four years is a long time.
The Sun (2008)
Those with little stamina for long- distance commutes have no choice but to return.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
She sees the supermodel revival as a long- term trend.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
My last long- term relationship was phenomenally active.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
And the companies using the land have long- term leases.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
They take the long- term view.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
We're learning to think long- term.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
But you know she hasn't really had a long- term relationship since then.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Great colour and long- lasting.
The Sun (2010)
Lime hawk moth moth is named after the hawk because it capable of powerful, long- distance flight.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The new president disagreed, arguing that shortterm economic recovery and long- term economic renewal were inextricably linked.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
If you see your emerging fund as a way to gain to these long- term opportunities, fine.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
This is to be offset by long- term tree planting with the trees staying in place for at least 80 years.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Word lists with
long
zodiac
In other languages
long
British English: long /lɒŋ/ ADJECTIVE
in time Something that is long takes a lot of time.
The afternoon lessons seemed very long.
American English: long
Arabic: طَوِيِلٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: longo
Chinese: 长的
Croatian: dugačak
Czech: dlouhý
Danish: lang
Dutch: lang
European Spanish: largo
Finnish: pitkä
French: long
German: lang
Greek: μακρύς
Italian: lungo
Japanese: 長い
Korean: 긴
Norwegian: lang
Polish: długi
European Portuguese: longo
Romanian: lungde timp
Russian: длинный
Latin American Spanish: largo
Swedish: lång
Thai: นาน
Turkish: uzun
Ukrainian: тривалий
Vietnamese: dài
British English: long /lɒŋ/ ADVERB
Long means a great amount of time.
The repairs did not take too long.
American English: long
Arabic: طَوِيْلاً
Brazilian Portuguese: muito tempo
Chinese: 长期地
Croatian: dugo
Czech: dlouho
Danish: længe
Dutch: lange tijd
European Spanish: mucho tiempo
Finnish: kauan
French: longuement
German: lange
Greek: επί μακρόν
Italian: a lungo
Japanese: 長く
Korean: 오래
Norwegian: lenge
Polish: długo
European Portuguese: muito tempo
Romanian: mult de timp
Russian: долго
Latin American Spanish: mucho tiempo
Swedish: långt
Thai: ยาวนาน
Turkish: uzunca
Ukrainian: довго
Vietnamese: lâu
British English: long /lɒŋ/ VERB
If you long for something, you want it very much.
She longed for the good old days.
I'm longing to meet her.
American English: long
Arabic: يَتُوْقُ إِلَىَ
Brazilian Portuguese: cobiçar
Chinese: 渴望
Croatian: čeznuti
Czech: toužit
Danish: længes
Dutch: verlangen
European Spanish: anhelar
Finnish: kaivata
French: se languir
German: sehnen (sich)
Greek: λαχταρώ
Italian: desiderare
Japanese: 切望する
Korean: 몹시 그리워하다
Norwegian: lengte
Polish: zatęsknić
European Portuguese: desejar
Romanian: a tânji
Russian: очень хотеть
Latin American Spanish: anhelar
Swedish: längta
Thai: รอคอย
Turkish: özlemek
Ukrainian: прагнути
Vietnamese: thèm muốn
British English: long /lɒŋ/ ADJECTIVE
in distance Something that is long measures a great distance from one end to the other.
There is a long table in the middle of the kitchen.
American English: long
Arabic: طَوِيل
Brazilian Portuguese: longo
Chinese: 长的
Croatian: dugačak
Czech: dlouhý
Danish: lang
Dutch: lang
European Spanish: largo
Finnish: pitkä
French: long
German: lange
Greek: μακρύς
Italian: lungo
Japanese: 長い
Korean: 긴
Norwegian: lang
Polish: długi
European Portuguese: longo
Romanian: lung
Russian: длинный
Latin American Spanish: largo
Swedish: lång
Thai: ยาว
Turkish: uzun
Ukrainian: довгий
Vietnamese: dài
Chinese translation of 'long'
long
(lɔŋ)
adj
(in distance)[rope, hair, table, tunnel]长(長)的 (cháng de)
(in time)[meeting, discussion, film, time]长(長)的 (cháng de)
⇒ It was a long meeting.这个会议很长。 (Zhège huìyì hěn cháng.)
(in words)[book, poem]长(長)的 (cháng de)
adv
(time) 长(長)久 (chángjiǔ)
⇒ Have you been here long?你在这里时间长吗？ (Nǐ zài zhèlǐ shíjiān cháng ma?)
vi
to long for sth/to do sth渴望某物/做某事 (kěwàng mǒuwù/zuò mǒushì)
how long is the tunnel?这(這)个(個)隧道有多长(長)？ (zhège suìdào yǒu duō cháng?)
how long is the lesson?这(這)节(節)课(課)多长(長)时(時)间(間)？ (zhè jié kè duō cháng shíjiān?)
6 metres long6米长(長) (liù mǐ cháng)
the film is three hours long这(這)部电(電)影长(長)达(達)3个(個)小时(時) (zhè bù diànyǐng cháng dá sān gè xiǎoshí)
all day/night long整天/夜 (zhěngtiān/yè)
so or as long as (= provided) 只要 (zhǐyào) (= while) 在 ... 同时(時) (zài ... tóngshí)
⇒ You can't turn the heat off as long as the system is on.在系统开着的同时，不能中断供暖。 (Zài xìtǒng kāizhe de tóngshí, bùnéng zhōngduàn gōngnuǎn.)
he no longer comes or he doesn't come any longer他不再来(來)了 (tā bùzài lái le)
long ago很久以前 (hěn jiǔ yǐqián)
long before/after很久以前/以后(後) (hěn jiǔ yǐqián/yǐhòu)
before long (future) 不久 (bùjiǔ)
⇒ They're bound to catch him before long.不久，他们一定会抓到他。 (Bùjiǔ, tāmen yīdìng huì zhuādào tā.)
(past) 很快 (hěn kuài)
⇒ Before long we were all safely back home.很快，我们就都安全到家了。 (Hěn kuài, wǒmen jiù dōu ānquán dàojiā le.)
for long很久 (hěn jiǔ)
it won't take long这(這)不需花很多时(時)间(間) (zhè bù xūyào huā hěn duō shíjiān)
it won't be long before/until ... 很快就 ... (hěn kuài jiù ... )
I won't be long我很快就来(來) (wǒ hěn kuài jiù lái)
at long last终(終)于(於) (zhōngyú)
a long way很远(遠) (hěn yuǎn)
so long! (inf) 再见(見)！ (zàijiàn!)
the long and the short of it is that ... 总(總)而言之 ... (zǒng ér yán zhī ... )
All related terms of 'long'
dragon
龙(龍) lóng [ 条(條) tiáo ]
for long
很久 hěn jiǔ
long ago
很久以前 hěn jiǔ yǐqián
so long!
再见(見)！ zàijiàn!
long jump
▶ the long jump 跳远(遠) tiàoyuǎn
long wave
长(長)波 chángbō
long-haul
( flight, route ) 长(長)途的 chángtú de
long-life
( milk ) 可长(長)久保存的 kě chángjiǔ bǎocún de
long-term
( effects, prospects, future ) 长(長)远(遠)的 chángyuǎn de
before long
( future ) 不久 bùjiǔ ⇒ They're bound to catch him before long. → 不久，他们一定会抓到他。 Bùjiǔ, tāmen yīdìng huì zhuādào tā.
long since
很久以前 hěn jiǔ yǐqián
a long haul
长(長)久战(戰) chángjiǔzhàn
a long way
很远(遠) hěn yuǎn
long awaited
( event, opportunity ) 期待已久的 qīdài yǐ jiǔ de
long-distance
( journey, phone call ) 长(長)途的 chángtú de
long-sighted
远(遠)视(視)的 yuǎnshì de [ 美 = far-sighted ]
long-standing
( tradition, problem, dispute ) 长(長)期存在的 chángqī cúnzài de