variants or less commonly longform
: notably long in form in comparison to what is common or typical for works or content of a particular category
Making Michael Jackson's Thriller … spawned the long-form music video.Paul Taublieb
His compositions are long-form; by a comparative ratio to most piano players, there's not much soloing. Like good long-form structures, they don't always strike you as such; the written parts ease into solos without giving notice.Ben Ratliff
especially, journalism : covering a subject at much greater length and in much greater depth than a standard news article
Long-form and investigative stories were replaced by short, searchable bursts of information. Adam Weinstein
Mine was a world made new by memoir and biography, investigative journalism and longform essay. E. Ce Miller
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Examples of long-form 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.
Recent data also suggests that students are engaging less with books and other long-form texts outside the classroom. Ulrich Boser, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Sarandos noted that the shows overindex with mobile users relative to long-form series and have driven up engagement a bit during daytime hours. Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026 Rock, 27, first popped up on Vine and later YouTube, infusing his short- and long-form content with humor and tons of natural charisma, and developing a significant following as an early beauty creator. Kara Nesvig, Time, 14 July 2026 He’s leaned into this virality, posting cheeky selfies on Instagram, uploading long-form vlogs on YouTube and interacting with fans on his public Snapchat stories, often poking fun at himself. Kaitlyn Huamani, Fortune, 13 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for long-form

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of long-form was in 1961

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Cite this Entry

“Long-form.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/long-form. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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