: a unit of distance equal to 220 yards (about 201 meters)
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Furlong Has Old English Roots
Furlong is an English original that can be traced back to Old English furlang, a combination of the noun furh (“furrow”) and the adjective lang (“long”). Though now standardized as a length of 220 yards (or 1/8th of a mile), the furlong was originally defined less precisely as the length of a furrow—a trench in the earth made by a plow—in a cultivated field. This length was equal to the long side of an acre—an area originally defined as the amount of arable land that could be plowed by a yoke of oxen in a day, but later standardized as an area measuring 220 yards (one furlong) by 22 yards, and now defined as any area measuring 4,840 square yards. In contemporary usage, furlong is often encountered in references to horse racing.
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General Jackson, making his 11th career start, was in fifth place and being passed by other horses with about 70 yards remaining in the six-furlong race when the incident happened.—Jay Posner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025 The 10-furlong test will see the return of reigning Classic winner Sierra Leone, but several rivals appear capable of spoiling the party.—Jared Welch, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025 Both were at a much shorter distance than the Derby’s 10 furlongs, but that’s still a factor worth considering.—Teresa Genaro, New York Times, 2 May 2025 The big races start about 3:30 p.m. with the $750,000 John Henry Turf Championship going 1 ¼ miles, followed by the $750,000 Eddie D Stakes for horses going about 6 ½ furlongs on the downhill turf course.—John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for furlong
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English furlang, from furh furrow + lang long
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