as in shortly
at or within a short time
the painters ought to be done before long
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of before long
The 20-year-old is currently around Spurs’ first-team squad, covering for long-term injury absentee Radu Dragusin, but will likely head out on loan before long.
—
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Ophelia is driven to madness after the murder of her father and flaky romantic advances from Hamlet, and before long, takes her own life.
—Jaeden Pinder, Pitchfork, 3 Oct. 2025
Maybe that will turn up, too, before long, in Helsinki or Manila.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
But before long his hearing begins to disappear, leading him down a panicked trail of denial, anger and desperation.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for before long
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Ophelia is driven to madness after the murder of her father and flaky romantic advances from Hamlet, and before long, takes her own life.
—Jaeden Pinder, Pitchfork, 3 Oct. 2025
Maybe that will turn up, too, before long, in Helsinki or Manila.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
But before long his hearing begins to disappear, leading him down a panicked trail of denial, anger and desperation.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for before long
Recent Examples of Synonyms for before long
Adverb
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This was made possible thanks to access granted to documentary filmmaker María José Cuevas to hundreds of tapes recorded by the artist himself from the 1970s until shortly before his death in August 2016.—
Natalia Cano,
Billboard,
30 Oct. 2025
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In May, shortly before the city launched an investigation into the surveys, Gables resident Nicolas Cabrera questioned Fernandez about the People Count USA surveys during a commission meeting.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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The entry of the American brand helped spur the rise of a thriving coffee culture among the burgeoning middle class of a country that traditionally drank tea, and Starbucks soon became a symbol of Western influence in a more affluent China.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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San Diego County’s social services could soon be expanding into a new frontier — primary care.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Before long.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/before%20long. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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