along

1 of 2

preposition

1
: in a line matching the length or direction of
walking along the road
also : at a point or points on
a house along the river
2
: in the course of
made stops along the way
3
: in accordance with : in
a new agreement along the lines of the first

along

2 of 2

adverb

1
: forward, on
move along
2
: from one to another
word was passed along
3
a
: in company : as a companion
brought his wife along
often used with with
walked to school along with her friends
b
: in association
used with with
work along with colleagues
4
a
: sometime within a specified or implied extent of time
usually used with about
along about July 17
b
: at or to an advanced point
plans are far along
5
: in addition : also
usually used with with
a bill came along with the package
6
: at hand : as a necessary or useful item
brought an extra one along
had his gun along
7
: on hand : there
tell him I'll be along to see him

Examples of along in a Sentence

Preposition We walked along the beach. The chairs were lined up along the wall. The ship sailed along the coast. We drove to Boston and we stopped along the way for lunch. Adverb We walked along beside the road. I was just walking along, minding my own business. The police told the people in the crowd to move along. We looked at the houses as we drove along. Plans for a new stadium are already pretty far along.
Recent Examples on the Web
Preposition
An eastern Atlantic tropical wave is along 27W, south of 20N, and moving westward at 5-10 knots, the NHC said. Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 17 Sep. 2024 Precipitation in Carolina Beach, along the coast near Wilmington, set an especially striking record. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2024
Adverb
Whether strong new commitments from major banks along with pressure from tech developers and nuclear generation companies can combine to speed things along remains to be seen. David Blackmon, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024 Ivan nodded and groaned along at all the right places. Sarah A. Topol, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for along 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'along.' 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

Preposition

Middle English, from Old English andlang, from and- against + lang long — more at ante-

First Known Use

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of along was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near along

Cite this Entry

“Along.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/along. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

along

1 of 2 preposition
1
: in a line matching the length or direction of
walk along the beach
lined up along the wall
2
: at a point or points on
stopped along the way
3
: in accordance with
a new agreement along the lines of the first

along

2 of 2 adverb
1
: onward entry 1, forward
move along
2
: as a companion or associate
brought my best friend along
3
: in addition : also
the bill came along with the package
4
: at or on hand
had a camera along

More from Merriam-Webster on along

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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