1
a
: extending for a considerable distance
a long coastline
b
: having greater length than usual
a long corridor
c
: having greater height than usual : tall
d
: having a greater length than breadth : elongated
e
: having a greater length than desirable or necessary
the column is one line too long
f
: full-length
long pants
2
a
: having a specified length
six feet long
b
: forming the chief linear dimension
the long side of the room
3
a
: extending over a considerable time
a long friendship
b
: having a specified duration
two hours long
c
: prolonged beyond the usual time
a long look
d
: lasting too long : tedious
a long explanation
4
a
: containing many items in a series
a long list
b
: having a specified number of units
300 pages long
c
: consisting of a greater number or amount than usual : large
was married, and had a long family—
A. T. Quiller-Couch
A. T. Quiller-Couch5
a
of a speech sound
: having a relatively long duration
b
: being the member of a pair of similarly spelled vowel or vowel-containing sounds that is descended from a vowel long in duration
long a in fate
long i in sign
c
of a syllable in prosody
(1)
: of relatively extended duration
(2)
: bearing a stress or accent
a long syllable
6
: having the capacity to reach, extend, or travel a considerable distance
a long left jab
tried to hit the long ball
7
: larger or longer than the standard
a long count by the referee
8
a
: extending far into the future
the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts—H. W. Longfellow
H. W. Longfellow
b
: extending beyond what is known
a long guess
c
: payable after a considerable period
a long note
9
: possessing a high degree or a great deal of something specified : strong
long on common sense
10
a
: of an unusual degree of difference between the amounts wagered on each side
long odds
b
: of or relating to the larger amount wagered
take the long end of the bet
11
: subject to great odds
take a long chance for a large reward—W. P. Webb
W. P. Webb12
: owning or accumulating securities or goods especially in anticipation of an advance in prices
they are now long on wheat
take a long position in steel
1
: for or during a long time
long a popular hangout
2
: at or to a long distance : far
long-traveled
3
: for the duration of a specified period
month-long
all summer long
4
: at a point of time far before or after a specified moment or event
was excited long before the big day
5
: after or beyond a specified or implied time
didn't stay longer than midnight
6
: for a considerable distance
threw the ball long
7
: in or into a long position (as on a market)
1
: a long period of time
2
: a long syllable
3
: one taking a long position especially in a security or commodity market
4
a
longs plural
: long trousers
b
: a size in clothing for tall men
longed; longing
ˈlȯŋ-iŋ 
: to feel a strong desire or craving especially for something not likely to be attained
they long for peace
longing to return home
Synonyms
Examples of long in a Sentence
Adjective
The bridge is the longest in the world.
We drove a long distance.
the long side of the building
The whale was 50 feet long.
“How long was the race?” “The race was five miles long.”
They've had a long and happy marriage.
She finds it hard to sit still for long periods of time.
The company has a long tradition of serving its customers well.
A day is 24 hours long.
The team has had a long streak of wins.
Adverb
The extra food she brought did not last long.
They'll have to wait a bit longer.
The mall has long been a popular hangout for teenagers.
They have long been devoted friends.
It's been so long since we've seen each other.
It's been much too long since we've seen each other.
That meeting was way too long.
We had to leave long before we were ready to go.
We talked all night long.
events that occurred long before the discovery of America
Noun
they should be here before long
See More
Recent Examples on the WebKate Hogan, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2023
Showing itself as not merely one-dimensional Friday, El Camino (3-1) also scored on long drives when the game still may have been in question.
—Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2023
Sounds early like Makiya might be a little bit longer term.
—oregonlive, 16 Sep. 2023
While Epic Healing Eugene has a long waitlist thanks in part to early media attention, other service centers say business is picking up as awareness spreads.
—CBS News, 16 Sep. 2023
Optimistically — but over a longer term than most of our gardens and crops could last — persistent areas of drought in the region have had a bit more improvement (green shading) than worsening (yellow shading) in the last week.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2023
Automation also can improve the process long term, Strohecker said.
—Megan Banta, The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Sep. 2023
Throughout the show, the group featuring Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford brought high energy and fan service to the arena, playing long strings of hits and reflecting on their career that spans over 50 decades.
—Regan Stephens, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2023
Her other work has highlighted loopholes in campaign finance law that allow officeholders to take money without telling the public about the source of funding and allow long periods without any public disclosure.
—The Arizona Republic, 4 Sep. 2023
Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2023
Not long after, the Mystic River star was seen again with his new flame in Europe.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2023
Not long before the Nazi invasion of Poland set off World War II, youthful fascists began attacking Jews in the streets of Lwów, the southeastern Polish city where 14-year-old Julian Bussgang and his family lived.
—Bryan Marquard, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023
Melrose Abbey on Washington Street was long owned by a local couple.
—Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2023
Residents in and around Seneca Falls have long complained about a bevy of problems related to the site, including truck traffic, choking dust and the potential for landfill runoff — known as leachate — to contaminate drinking water.
—Jesse McKinley Lauren Petracca, New York Times, 17 Sep. 2023
When is Colorado-Colorado State tonight? Colorado and Colorado State, which was scheduled for 9 p.m. (10 p.m. ET) has been delayed due to Florida-Tennessee running long.
—Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 16 Sep. 2023
It's made with sturdy nylon that keeps it durable and looking pristine long after the first wear.
—Kristine Solomon, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2023
Not long after, Ms. Hunnicutt discovered that her husband was having an affair with Samantha Eggar, one of his co-stars.
—Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2023
Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press, 2 Sep. 2023
The Titan is a 22-foot long, 20,000-pound submersible owned by OceanGate Expeditions, a Titanic tourism company that takes guests on underwater journeys for $250,000 per person.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 22 June 2023
Poets have long invoked place names as objects of desire—an Ithaca to which one is bound to return, an Eden from which one has been exiled, a Kyoto for which, even in Kyoto, one longs.
—Kamran Javadizadeh, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023
Every soul has imaginative potential, longs to express itself, and deserves a caring, inspiring environment in which to do so.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2023
Feeling trapped in her dead-end existence, Hazel longs for wider horizons, different people and places — in short, a change.
—Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 5 June 2023
Plus, their cushioned insoles and durable outsoles keep your feet supported and protected all-day long.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 23 Aug. 2023
The grid analysis should give us some good insights on how long to hold on to longs in the energy ETFs as well as the individual energy stocks.
—Tom Aspray, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023
Created by Christopher Storer, the show is intermittently incredibly funny, but the main thing separating it from the drama category is that most of its episodes are a half-hour long.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 30 June 2023
Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 17 Sep. 2023
But Henson longed to be recognized by his own name, and for his own achievements.
—Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2023
The Changeling wants to—and frequently does—use Emma to tell a knotty, empathetic story about the violence and longing inherent in motherhood.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 7 Sep. 2023
Tiny figures seem too far away for conversation but not far enough to long for one another.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
From a wooden puppet who dreams of being a flesh-and-blood boy to a mermaid who longs to explore the human world, many of Disney’s most beloved films have centered characters driven by their desire to make their wishes a reality.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023
Growing up, he was abandoned by his biological father, who refused to accept his son, though Michael longed for a relationship.
—Kunlyna Tauch, Harper's BAZAAR, 17 Aug. 2023
Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home.
—Shirley MacFarland, cleveland, 24 Aug. 2023
Compared to relying on flashes of inspiration in the past, Shang now longs for a more stable creative source.
—Billboard China, Billboard, 16 Aug. 2023
See More
Adjective
The actor — who never married and did not have children — died in 2018 at age 77.
07
Moose as Eddie
As much of a character as any of the humans on the series, pup Eddie — played by Jack Russell terrier Moose — lived a long life, dying in 2006 at age 16.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2023
Showing itself as not merely one-dimensional Friday, El Camino (3-1) also scored on long drives when the game still may have been in question.
—Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2023
Sounds early like Makiya might be a little bit longer term.
—oregonlive, 16 Sep. 2023
While Epic Healing Eugene has a long waitlist thanks in part to early media attention, other service centers say business is picking up as awareness spreads.
—CBS News, 16 Sep. 2023
Optimistically — but over a longer term than most of our gardens and crops could last — persistent areas of drought in the region have had a bit more improvement (green shading) than worsening (yellow shading) in the last week.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2023
Automation also can improve the process long term, Strohecker said.
—Megan Banta, The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Sep. 2023
Throughout the show, the group featuring Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford brought high energy and fan service to the arena, playing long strings of hits and reflecting on their career that spans over 50 decades.
—Regan Stephens, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2023
Her other work has highlighted loopholes in campaign finance law that allow officeholders to take money without telling the public about the source of funding and allow long periods without any public disclosure.
—The Arizona Republic, 4 Sep. 2023
Adverb
Not long before the election, Nelson’s campaign obtained security-camera footage from 2013 of the entrance to the courthouse in Collin County, where Paxton lives.
—Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2023
Not long after, the Mystic River star was seen again with his new flame in Europe.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2023
Not long before the Nazi invasion of Poland set off World War II, youthful fascists began attacking Jews in the streets of Lwów, the southeastern Polish city where 14-year-old Julian Bussgang and his family lived.
—Bryan Marquard, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023
Melrose Abbey on Washington Street was long owned by a local couple.
—Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2023
Residents in and around Seneca Falls have long complained about a bevy of problems related to the site, including truck traffic, choking dust and the potential for landfill runoff — known as leachate — to contaminate drinking water.
—Jesse McKinley Lauren Petracca, New York Times, 17 Sep. 2023
When is Colorado-Colorado State tonight? Colorado and Colorado State, which was scheduled for 9 p.m. (10 p.m. ET) has been delayed due to Florida-Tennessee running long.
—Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 16 Sep. 2023
It's made with sturdy nylon that keeps it durable and looking pristine long after the first wear.
—Kristine Solomon, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2023
Not long after, Ms. Hunnicutt discovered that her husband was having an affair with Samantha Eggar, one of his co-stars.
—Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2023
Noun
However, the highlight came to cap the half, when kicker James Turner (transfer from Louisville, saline native) booted a 50-yard field goal (his previous long was 49) as time expired.
—Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press, 2 Sep. 2023
The Titan is a 22-foot long, 20,000-pound submersible owned by OceanGate Expeditions, a Titanic tourism company that takes guests on underwater journeys for $250,000 per person.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 22 June 2023
Poets have long invoked place names as objects of desire—an Ithaca to which one is bound to return, an Eden from which one has been exiled, a Kyoto for which, even in Kyoto, one longs.
—Kamran Javadizadeh, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023
Every soul has imaginative potential, longs to express itself, and deserves a caring, inspiring environment in which to do so.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2023
Feeling trapped in her dead-end existence, Hazel longs for wider horizons, different people and places — in short, a change.
—Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 5 June 2023
Plus, their cushioned insoles and durable outsoles keep your feet supported and protected all-day long.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 23 Aug. 2023
The grid analysis should give us some good insights on how long to hold on to longs in the energy ETFs as well as the individual energy stocks.
—Tom Aspray, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023
Created by Christopher Storer, the show is intermittently incredibly funny, but the main thing separating it from the drama category is that most of its episodes are a half-hour long.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 30 June 2023
Verb
With each word out of the fifth-year manager’s mouth, another bottle of champagne popped in anticipation of a moment this team has longed for.
—Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 17 Sep. 2023
But Henson longed to be recognized by his own name, and for his own achievements.
—Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2023
The Changeling wants to—and frequently does—use Emma to tell a knotty, empathetic story about the violence and longing inherent in motherhood.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 7 Sep. 2023
Tiny figures seem too far away for conversation but not far enough to long for one another.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
From a wooden puppet who dreams of being a flesh-and-blood boy to a mermaid who longs to explore the human world, many of Disney’s most beloved films have centered characters driven by their desire to make their wishes a reality.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023
Growing up, he was abandoned by his biological father, who refused to accept his son, though Michael longed for a relationship.
—Kunlyna Tauch, Harper's BAZAAR, 17 Aug. 2023
Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home.
—Shirley MacFarland, cleveland, 24 Aug. 2023
Compared to relying on flashes of inspiration in the past, Shang now longs for a more stable creative source.
—Billboard China, Billboard, 16 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'long.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective, Adverb, and Noun
Middle English long, lang, from Old English; akin to Old High German lang long, Latin longus
Verb (1)
Middle English, from Old English langian; akin to Old High German langēn to long, Old English lang long
Verb (2)
Middle English, from along (on) because (of)
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adverb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb (2)
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of long was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing long
Dictionary Entries Near long
Cite this Entry
“Long.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/long. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
long
1 of 3 adjective1
: of great extent from end to end : not short
2
a
: having a specified length
a meter long
b
: forming the chief linear dimension
the long side of the table
3
: lasting for a considerable or specified time
a long friendship
two hours long
4
: overly long or lasting too long
a long look
a long explanation
5
: containing many or a specified number of units
a long series of wins
6
: being a syllable or speech sound of relatively great duration
7
: extending far into the future
8
: strong in or well supplied with something
long on golf
long on wisdom
long
2 of 3 adverb1
: for or during a long time
long a popular hangout
2
: for the length of a specified period
all summer long
3
: at a distant point of time
long before we arrived
long
3 of 3 verb
longed; longing
ˈlȯŋ-iŋ
: to feel a strong desire or wish
longing to return home
Etymology
Adjective
Old English long, lang "extending a great distance"
Verb
Old English langian "to feel a strong desire for something"
Legal Definition
long
adjective
: owning or accumulating securities, goods, or commodities especially in anticipation of a rise in prices
a buyer long on wheat
compare short
More from Merriam-Webster on long
Nglish: Translation of long for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of long for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about long
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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