having considerable linear extent in space: a long distance; a long handle.
having considerable duration in time: a long conversation; a long while.
extending, lasting, or totaling a number of specified units: eight miles long; eight hours long.
containing many items or units: a long list.
requiring a considerable time to relate, read, etc.: a long story.
extending beyond normal or moderate limits: a long, boring speech.
experienced as passing slowly, because of the difficulty, tedium, or unpleasantness involved: long years of study.
reaching well into the past: a long memory.
the longer of two or the longest of several:the long way home; a brick with the long side exposed.
taking a long time; slow: He's certainly long getting here.
forward-looking or considering all aspects; broad: to take a long view of life.
intense, thorough, or critical; seriously appraising: a long look at one's past mistakes.
having an ample supply or endowment of something (often followed by on): to be long on advice; to be long on brains.
having a considerable time to run, as a promissory note.
Chiefly Law. distant or remote in time: a long date.
extending relatively far: a man with a long reach.
being higher or taller than usual: long casement windows.
being against great odds; unlikely: a long chance.
(of beverages) mixed or diluted with a large amount of soda, seltzer, etc.: highballs, collinses, and other long drinks.
(of the head or skull) of more than ordinary length from front to back.
Phonetics.
lasting a relatively long time: “Feed” has a longer sound than “feet” or “fit.”
belonging to a class of sounds considered as usually longer in duration than another class, as the vowel of bought as compared to that of but, and in many languages serving as a distinctive feature of phonemes, as the ah in German Bahn in contrast with the a in Bann, or the tt in Italian fatto in contrast with the t in fato (opposed to short (def. 16b)).
having the sound of the English vowels in mate, meet, mite, mote, moot, and mute, historically descended from vowels that were long in duration.
Prosody. (of a syllable in quantitative verse) lasting a longer time than a short syllable.
Finance. holding or accumulating stocks, futures, commodities, etc., with the expectation of a rise in prices: a long position in chemicals.
Gambling.
marked by a large difference in the numbers of the given betting ratio or in the amounts wagered: long odds.
of or relating to the larger amount bet.
Ceramics. (of clay) very plastic; fat.
noun
a comparatively long time: They haven't been gone for long. Will it take long?
something that is long: The signal was two longs and a short.
a size of garment for men who are taller than average.
a garment, as a suit or overcoat, in this size: The shorts and the longs are hung separately.
Finance. a person who accumulates or holds stocks or commodities with the expectation of a rise in prices.
Music. longa.
adverb
for or through a great extent of space or, especially, time: a reform long advocated.
for or throughout a specified extent, especially of time: How long did he stay?
(used elliptically in referring to the length of an absence, delay, etc.): Will she be long?
throughout a specified period of time (usually used to emphasize a preceding noun): It's been muggy all summer long.
at a point of time far distant from the time indicated: long before.
Idioms for long
as long as,
provided that: As long as you can come by six, I'll be here.
seeing that; since: As long as you're going to the grocery anyway, buy me a pint of ice cream.
Also so long as.during the time that; through the period that: As long as we were neighbors, they never invited us inside their house.
before long, soon: We should have news of her whereabouts before long.
the long and the short of, the point or gist of; substance of: The long and the short of it is that they will be forced to sell all their holdings.Also the long and short of.
Origin of long
1
First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective longe, Old English lang, long; cognate with Dutch, German lang, Old Norse langr, Gothic langs, Latin longus; noun, adverb, derivative of the adjective
SYNONYMS FOR long
1 lengthy, extensive.
2 protracted, prolonged, extended.
6 overlong, wordy, prolix; tedious, boring.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR long ON THESAURUS.COM
OTHER WORDS FROM long
longly,adverblongness,noun
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH long
long , longe, lounge, lunge
Words nearby long
lone pair, loner, lonesome, Lone Star State, lone wolf, long, longa, long abductor muscle of thumb, long account, long-acting, long-acting thyroid stimulator
Definition for long (2 of 5)
long2
[ lawng, long ]
/ lɔŋ, lɒŋ /
verb (used without object)
to have an earnest or strong desire or craving; yearn: to long for spring;to long to return home.
Origin of long
2
First recorded before 900; Middle English longen, Old English langian “grow longer, yearn after, summon”; see long1
synonym study for long
See yearn.
Definition for long (3 of 5)
long3
[ lawng, long ]
/ lɔŋ, lɒŋ /
verb (used without object)
Archaic. to be suitable or fitting.
Obsolete. to be the possession; belong.
Origin of long
3
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English longen “to be suitable, fitting, or proper,” derivative of long “attributable (to), dependent (on),” Old English gelang “belonging (to), dependent (on)”; see origin at belong, along
Definition for long (4 of 5)
Long
[ lawng, long ]
/ lɔŋ, lɒŋ /
noun
Crawford Wil·liam·son[wil-yuhm-suhn], /ˈwɪl yəm sən/, 1815–78, U.S. surgeon.
Hu·ey Pierce[hyoo-ee], /ˈhyu i/, 1893–1935, U.S. politician: governor of Louisiana 1928–31; U.S. senator 1931–35.
Russell B(il·liu)[bil-yoo], /ˈbɪl yu/, 1918–2003, U.S. lawyer and politician: U.S. senator 1948–87 (son of Huey Long).
Stephen Harriman, 1784–1864, U.S. army officer and explorer.
The minute-long ads will run on TV and digital platforms, according to the Biden campaign.
Election live updates: Trump returns to Wisconsin; Biden to face live audience at town hall|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
Enforcing Bastian’s order may be difficult, since some of the policies preceded DeJoy and have been long underway.
Federal judge issues temporary injunction against USPS operational changes amid concerns about mail slowdowns|Elise Viebeck, Jacob Bogage|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
These explainers may not be on every video—after all, most clips on the platform are 30 seconds long—but you should definitely look for them in the creator’s feed.
Use TikTok to build the perfect workout|Sandra Gutierrez G.|September 17, 2020|Popular Science
She tested very good for a long period of time, and all of a sudden today she tested positive.
Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine; Biden says Americans shouldn’t trust Trump|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
Without that answer, the Clippers now prepare for yet another offseason that will end up being longer than it should have been — exactly what their stars were supposed to insulate them from.
When It Comes To Playoff Disappointment, The Clippers Are In A League Of Their Own|Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com)|September 16, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
And they might not have to wait that long to show their political heft.
Asian-Americans Are The New Florida|Tim Mak|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Doctors have long wrestled with the age of consent when it comes to mature adolescents.
Should Teens Have The Right To Die?|Brandy Zadrozny|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Current and former intelligence officials have said North Korea has long been a priority target for American spies.
Was Sony Hit With a Second Hack?|Shane Harris|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The plan is to stretch it out as long as possible, then probably forget about it, and then suddenly remember it.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Great American leaders have long contributed profound thoughts of tremendous consequence to the public discourse.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He had a selection on a long box-scrub siding of the ridges, about half a mile back and up from the coach road.
On the Track|Henry Lawson
Lizzie, indeed, is fond of work; she is busy all day long, and it is evident that her sewing-machine is not allowed to rust.
London's Heart|B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon
The proud Miss Althea Beekman, the dignified descendant of a long line of ancestors, turned red.
By Advice of Counsel|Arthur Train
For a long time cats were dreaded by the people because they thought human beings had been changed to that form by evil means.
The Book of Hallowe'en|Ruth Edna Kelley
I don't know how long I waited—perhaps another hour—when I thought I would try again.
The Sign of Silence|William Le Queux
British Dictionary definitions for long (1 of 6)
long1
/ (lɒŋ) /
adjective
having relatively great extent in space on a horizontal plane
having relatively great duration in time
(postpositive)of a specified number of units in extent or durationthree hours long
(in combination)a two-foot-long line
having or consisting of a relatively large number of items or partsa long list
having greater than the average or expected rangea long memory
being the longer or longest of alternativesthe long way to the bank
having more than the average or usual quantity, extent, or durationa long match
seeming to occupy a greater time than is really soshe spent a long afternoon waiting in the departure lounge
intense or thorough (esp in the phrase a long look)
(of drinks) containing a large quantity of nonalcoholic beverage
(of a garment) reaching to the wearer's ankles
informal(foll by on)plentifully supplied or endowed (with)long on good ideas
phonetics(of a speech sound, esp a vowel)
of relatively considerable duration
classified as long, as distinguished from the quality of other vowels
(in popular usage) denoting the qualities of the five English vowels in such words as mate, mete, mite, moat, moot, and mute
from end to end; lengthwise
unlikely to win, happen, succeed, etca long chance
prosody
denoting a vowel of relatively great duration or (esp in classical verse) followed by more than one consonant
denoting a syllable containing such a vowel
(in verse that is not quantitative) carrying the emphasis or ictus
financehaving or characterized by large holdings of securities or commodities in anticipation of rising pricesa long position
cricket(of a fielding position) near the boundarylong leg
informal(of people) tall and slender
in the long run See run (def. 82)
long in the toothinformalold or ageing
adverb
for a certain time or periodhow long will it last?
for or during an extensive period of timelong into the next year
at a distant time; quite a bit of timelong before I met you; long ago
financeinto a position with more security or commodity holdings than are required by sale contracts and therefore dependent on rising prices for profitto go long
as long asorso long as
for or during just the length of time that
inasmuch as; since
provided that; if
no longernot any more; formerly but not now
noun
a long time (esp in the phrase for long)
a relatively long thing, such as a signal in Morse code
a clothing size for tall people, esp in trousers
phoneticsa long vowel or syllable
financea person with large holdings of a security or commodity in expectation of a rise in its price; bull
musica note common in medieval music but now obsolete, having the time value of two breves
before longsoon
the long and the short of itthe essential points or facts
See also longs
Word Origin for long
Old English lang; related to Old High German lang, Old Norse langr, Latin longus
British Dictionary definitions for long (2 of 6)
long2
/ (lɒŋ) /
verb
(intr; foll by for or an infinitive)to have a strong desire
Word Origin for long
Old English langian; related to long1
British Dictionary definitions for long (3 of 6)
long3
/ (lɒŋ) /
verb
(intr)archaicto belong, appertain, or be appropriate
Word Origin for long
Old English langian to belong, from gelang at hand, belonging to; compare along
British Dictionary definitions for long (4 of 6)
long4
abbreviation for
longitude
British Dictionary definitions for long (5 of 6)
Long
/ (lɒŋ) /
noun
Crawford Williamson. 1815–78, US surgeon. He was the first to use ether as an anaesthetic
British Dictionary definitions for long (6 of 6)
long-
adverb
(in combination)for or lasting a long timelong-awaited; long-established; long-lasting