all along

adverb

: all the time
knew the truth all along

Examples of all along in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The people who followed me all along, if there are any left, may find still something different in all of this. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2026 Jim has said all along that cyber is needed more than ever in the new world of AI. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026 After the election, armchair pundits and paid professionals proclaimed that Ronald Reagan had been right all along. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Or maybe the steady, unobtrusive creep of conservatism has been the idea all along. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for all along

Word History

First Known Use

1619, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of all along was in 1619

Rhymes for all along

See All Rhymes for all along

Browse Nearby Words

Allais
all along
allamanda
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“All along.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all%20along. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

all along

adverb
: all the time
knew the truth all along
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulsome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All