a long time coming
idiom
: arriving or happening after a lot of time has passed
His promotion was a long time coming.
Examples of a long time coming in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The purchase was a long time coming The acquisition was at least eight years in the making and driven by community advocacy.
—
Caroline Foreback, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
The fate of Eddie Bauer, which has occupied a space at the Boise Factory Outlets for longer than most of its tenants, was a long time coming.
—Angela Palermo
january 7, Idaho Statesman, 7 Jan. 2026
News to Know Hawks, Young working on trade Atlanta and star guard Trae Young are discussing a possible trade, a source confirmed to The Athletic, which has been a long time coming on a few different levels.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
The move has been a long time coming.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for a long time coming
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Caroline Foreback, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
The fate of Eddie Bauer, which has occupied a space at the Boise Factory Outlets for longer than most of its tenants, was a long time coming.
—Angela Palermo
january 7, Idaho Statesman, 7 Jan. 2026
News to Know Hawks, Young working on trade Atlanta and star guard Trae Young are discussing a possible trade, a source confirmed to The Athletic, which has been a long time coming on a few different levels.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
The move has been a long time coming.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for a long time coming
Cite this Entry
“A long time coming.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20long%20time%20coming. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share