In addition to the uses shown below, along is used in phrasal verbs such as 'go along with', 'play along', and 'string along'.
1. preposition
If you move or look along something such as a road, you move or look towards one end of it.
Newman walked along the street alone.
The young man led Mark Ryle along a corridor.
I looked along the length of the building.
2. preposition
If something is situated along a road, river, or corridor, it is situated in it or beside it.
...enormous traffic jams all along the roads.
...houses built on piles along the river.
Along each wall stretched green metal filing cabinets.
Synonyms: next to, near, close to, alongside More Synonyms of along
3. adverb [ADVERB after verb]
When someone or something moves along, they keep moving in a particular direction.
She skipped and danced along.
He raised his voice a little, talking into the wind as they walked along.
The wide road was blocked solid with traffic that moved along sluggishly.
Synonyms: ahead, on, forwards, in front More Synonyms of along
4. adverb [ADVERB after verb]
If you say that something is going along in a particular way, you mean that it is progressing in that way.
...the negotiations which have been dragging along interminably.
Everything was coming along fine after all.
My life is going along nicely.
5. adverb [ADVERB after verb]
If you take someone or something along when you go somewhere, you take them with you.
This is open to women of all ages, so bring along your friends and colleagues.
Simply cut out this voucher and take it along to your nearest store.
6. adverb [ADVERB after verb]
If someone or something is coming along or is sent along, they are coming or being sent to a particular place.
She invited everyone she knew to come along.
He had the material tested and sent along the results.
Synonyms: for companionship, with you, as company, as a companion More Synonyms of along
7. phrase
You use along with to mention someone or something else that is also involved in an action or situation.
The baby's mother escaped from the fire along with two other children.
There are 32 different kinds of chocolate on sale along with the bread and cakes.
8.
See all along
9. along the way
More Synonyms of along
English Easy Learning GrammarPrepositionsA preposition is one of a small but very common group of words that relate differentitems to each other. Most English prepositions have a number of meanings ... Read more
along in British English
(əˈlɒŋ)
preposition
1.
over or for the length of, esp in a more or less horizontal plane
along the road
adverb
2.
continuing over the length of some specified thing
3.
in accompaniment; together with some specified person or people
he says he'd like to come along
4.
forward
the horse trotted along at a steady pace
5.
to a more advanced state
he got the work moving along
6. along with
▶ USAGE See note at plus
Word origin
Old English andlang, from and- against + langlong1; compare Old Frisian andlinga, Old Saxon antlang
along in American English
(əˈlɔŋ)
preposition
1.
on or beside the length of; over or throughout the length of
we hiked along the trail; along the driveway there is a hedge
2.
in the course of
along the way
3.
in conformity with
to think along certain lines
adverb
4.
in a line; lengthwise
5.
progressively forward or onward
he walked along by himself
6.
as a companion
come along with us
7.
with one
she took her camera along
8. US
on its way; advanced
the program was well along when he arrived
9. US, Informal
approaching
along toward evening
Idioms:
all along
along with
be along
get along
Word origin
ME < OE andlang, along, by the side of < and-, over against + -lang, in length: see long1
More idioms containing
along
bump along the bottom
go along for the ride
along the line
Examples of 'along' in a sentence
along
And lost a lot of people along the way.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Sometimes these horses come along and they just keep finding.
The Sun (2016)
We had all got along great until now and have had some good times together.
The Sun (2016)
Many single birds are also present now in harbours along the south coast.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There have been some battles along the way.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You can tick things off as you go along.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
With very little hindsight, it is clear that he should have known this all along.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I had a successful job and my life was seemingly ticking along nicely.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
We live in a multiracial society, there is no reason why we all cannot get along together and do the best for each other.
The Sun (2016)
Downtown made its inevitable appearance before the close, along with a slightly ungainly Sixties medley.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They want to move along the line of evolution as quickly as possible.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Two lifeboats were also launched along with a coastguard rescue team based at the resort.
The Sun (2012)
Will you give us a bit to jolly us along towards our target of a billion?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
People walking along the sidewalk would ask what we were doing.
Christianity Today (2000)
They have a natural chemistry and the duet keeps the show ticking along very nicely.
The Sun (2013)
Your blend of good humour and common sense ensures two families will get along well.
The Sun (2008)
With their ankles tethered they could only hobble along together beside the mounted horsemen.
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss THE WOLF AND THE DOVE
Man and nature are clearly getting along fine.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
And she let him for a while till something else clearly came along.
The Sun (2012)
And she had known all along that she did not.
various & introduction by Deirdre Chapman A Roomful of Birds - Scottish short stories 1990 (1990)
There have been other things to cheer along the way.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
On the lime trees they are red and lie close along the pink stems.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
You should identify another letter as you go along.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Spread a little mayonnaise mixture along one side of a wrap.
The Sun (2011)
He used to come along with his older brothers.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The funnyman has also taken along his own entertainment in the form of two books.
The Sun (2011)
Life seems to be plodding along nicely.
The Sun (2015)
You may get a car along five, maybe six times a year.
The Sun (2016)
We both love sailing and we can enjoy other places along the Portuguese coast as well.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Beside her, cars squeezed slowly along the narrow road.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
I saw a man and a woman walk towards each other along a path between the rushes.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
As we walked, a lone figure stood up and moved along the ridge of a hill overlooking the district.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
along
British English: along /əˈlɒŋ/ PREPOSITION
If you walk along a road or other place, you move towards one end of it.
We walked along the street.
American English: along
Arabic: عَلَى طُوْل
Brazilian Portuguese: ao longo de
Chinese: 顺着
Croatian: uzduž
Czech: podél
Danish: langs
Dutch: langs
European Spanish: a lo largo de camino
Finnish: mukaan
French: le long de
German: entlang
Greek: παραπλεύρως
Italian: lungo
Japanese: ･･･に沿って
Korean: ...을 따라
Norwegian: langsmed
Polish: wzdłuż
European Portuguese: ao longo de
Romanian: pe
Russian: вдоль
Latin American Spanish: a lo largo de
Swedish: längs
Thai: ไปตาม
Turkish: boyunca
Ukrainian: вздовж
Vietnamese: dọc theo
British English: along /əˈlɒŋ/ ADVERB
If you bring something along when you go somewhere, you bring it with you.
She brought a present along to the party.
American English: along
Arabic: مَعَ
Brazilian Portuguese: junto
Chinese: 一起
Croatian: uz (sebe)
Czech: s sebou
Danish: med
Dutch: mee
European Spanish: con
Finnish: mukaan
French: avec
German: mit
Greek: μαζί
Italian: con sé
Japanese: ･･･を持って
Korean: …을 따라
Norwegian: med
Polish: z sobą
European Portuguese: consigo
Romanian: cu sine
Russian: попутно
Latin American Spanish: conjunto con
Swedish: med
Thai: นำมาด้วย
Turkish: beraberinde
Ukrainian: разом із
Vietnamese: theo
All related terms of 'along'
all along
If something has been true or been present all along , it has been true or been present throughout a period of time.
be along
to come or arrive
cut along
to hurry off
get along
If you get along with someone, you have a friendly relationship with them. You can also say that two people get along .
go along
If you go along to a meeting , event, or place, you attend or visit it.
rub along
If two people rub along or if one person rubs along with another, they are able to live or work together in a fairly friendly way, usually when you would not expect them to.
run along
If you tell a child to run along , you mean that you want them to go away.
tag along
If someone goes somewhere and you tag along , you go with them, especially when they have not asked you to.
along with
accompanying ; together with
bring along
If you bring someone or something along , you bring them with you when you come to a place.
come along
You tell someone to come along to encourage them in a friendly way to do something, especially to attend something.
cosy along
to reassure (someone), esp with false assurances
fool along
to move or proceed in a leisurely way
hurry along
move along
If someone, especially a police officer , tells you to move along , or if they move you along , they tell you to stop standing in a particular place and to go somewhere else.
play along
If you play along with a person, with what they say , or with their plans , you appear to agree with them and do what they want , even though you are not sure whether they are right.
push along
to go away
sing along
If you sing along with a piece of music, you sing it while you are listening to someone else perform it.
sped along
the act or quality of acting or moving fast ; rapidity
take-along
intended or suitable for taking along, as on a trip
muddle along
If you muddle along , you live or exist without a proper plan or purpose in your life.
speeded along
the act or quality of acting or moving fast ; rapidity
string along
If you string someone along , you deceive them by letting them believe you have the same desires, beliefs, or hopes as them.
along the line
during the course of a situation or activity, often at a point that cannot be exactly identified
go along with
If you go along with a rule , decision , or policy , you accept it and obey it.
as you go along
If you do something as you go along , you do it while you are doing another thing, without preparing it beforehand .
play along (with)
to join in or cooperate (with)
bat around
to discuss (an idea, proposition , etc) informally
all along the line
at every stage in a series
bump along the bottom
to reach a low level of performance , and not get any better or any worse
happen by
to appear, arrive , or come casually or by chance
go along for the ride
to decide to join in an activity without doing it seriously or getting deeply involved in it
on the way along the way
If something happens on the way or along the way , it happens during the course of a particular event or process.
along the way on the way
If something happens on the way or along the way , it happens during the course of a particular event or process.
along the line/down the line
If something happens somewhere along the line or down the line , it happens during the course of a situation or activity, often at a point that cannot be exactly identified .
on the right lines
behaving in a way which is likely to result in success
Chinese translation of 'along'
along
(əˈlɔŋ)
prep
(= towards one end of) 沿着(著) (yánzhe)
⇒ He drove his car along East Street.他沿着东大街开车。 (Tā yánzhe Dōng Dàjiē kāichē.)
(= on, beside)[road, corridor, river]沿着(著) (yánzhe)
⇒ the houses built along the river沿着河建造的房屋 (yánzhe hé jiànzào de fángwū)