along

play

preposition \ ə-ˈlȯŋ \

Definition of along

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

See along defined for English-language learners

See along defined for kids

Examples of along in a Sentence

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.

Origin and Etymology of along

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

along

adverb

Definition of along

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

See along defined for English-language learners

Examples of along in a Sentence

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 of along from the Web

His wife and 15-year-old son had fled along with nearly everyone else on Ruby Allen Street, a line of trailer homes on a 10-foot rise three miles from the Gulf of Mexico.

— Washington Post, "Sam Speights’ desperate effort to stay alive during Harvey," 28 Aug. 2017
Provide ongoing training for individual churches along with a systematic program in leadership development to create, maintain and sustain community mobilization.

— carole carlson, Post-Tribune, "Seeking divine intervention in Gary's violent streets," 26 Aug. 2017
Host Mike Drucker and comedians like Adam Conover and Zoe Quinn will—along with audience members!—play and make fun of terrible video games including (but not limited to) Shaq Fu, and Bible Adventures.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "These Are the 5 Best Things to Do in L.A. This Weekend," 25 Aug. 2017
In a country where the population is barely growing and the birthrate is at less than replacement level, the only way to keep our economy chugging along is for all of us to consume more.

— New York Times, "The 8.6.17 Issue," 18 Aug. 2017
Light levels during the solar eclipse will make the conditions even more alike, and the balloon launch will give scientists an opportunity that doesn't come along every day, or even every eclipse.

— shauna steigerwald, Cincinnati.com, "There is no planet Vulcan, and other things we've learned from eclipses," 18 Aug. 2017
Study the plump, not-at-all-gamey quail, sourced from Wolfe Ranch, which comes along with some sticky rice and Chinese sausage that Jew cures in house.

— julia kramer, Bon Appetit, "Mister Jiu's," 15 Aug. 2017
Below are a few gems to chuckle over along with some commentary.

— aileen simons, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Parents share snippets of their kids' summer camp experiences," 9 Aug. 2017
Instead, Hurts saw the majority of the snaps in the 52-6 win, something Barnett said was probably the plan all along.

— mark heim, AL.com, "Nick Saban's miscommunication - Blake Barnett, Cooper Bateman say - led to Alabama departures," 8 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'along.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of along

14th century

along Synonyms

Synonyms

ahead, forth, forward, forwards, on, onward (also onwards)

Related Words

before, fore, frontward (or frontwards)

Near Antonyms

back, backward (or backwards), behind, rearward (also rearwards)

ALONG Defined for English Language Learners

along

play

preposition

Definition of along for English Language Learners

: in a line matching the length or direction of (something)
: at a point on (something)

along

adverb

Definition of along for English Language Learners

: in a forward direction
: at or to an advanced point
: at a particular place : here or there

ALONG Defined for Kids

along

play

preposition \ ə-ˈlȯŋ \

Definition of along for Students

1 :on or near in a lengthwise direction

Walk along the trail.

2 :at a point on

He stopped along the way.

along

adverb

Definition of along for Students

1 :farther forward or on

Move along.

2 :as a companion, associate, or useful item

I brought a friend along.

3 :at an advanced point

The project is pretty well along.

— all along

:all the time

I knew it was you all along.

Learn More about along

See words that rhyme with along Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for along Spanish Central: Translation of along Nglish: Translation of along for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of along for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up along? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

along

Definition of along

From the M-W Editors

Examples of along in a Sentence

Origin and Etymology of along

along

Definition of along

Examples of along in a Sentence

Recent Examples of along from the Web

First Known Use of along

along Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

ALONG Defined for English Language Learners

along

Definition of along for English Language Learners

along

Definition of along for English Language Learners

ALONG Defined for Kids

along

Definition of along for Students

along

Definition of along for Students

Learn More about along

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066