long haul

noun

plural long hauls

1

: a long distance

New England ski areas are a long haul—12 to 15 hours by car—for Pittsburgh area skiers.

—Lawrence Walsh

The existing system of alternating-current (AC) power lines is not robust enough to carry power from these centers to consumers everywhere and would lose too much energy over long hauls.

—Ken Zweibel et al.

2

: a considerable period of time : long run

—usually used in the phrases for the long haul, over the long haul, and in the long haul

Honest, open and relaxed, they are clearly a couple planning for the long haul.

—Tom Seligson

Over the long haul, though, ecosystems can sequester significant amounts of carbon.

—Sid Perkins

Treasury bills pay next to nothing in real terms over the long haul.

—Richard C. Morais

A good stock will have its bad days, weeks, and even years, but in the long haul, its performance will closely match the performance of the business.

—Alex Dumortier

long-haul

ˈlȯŋ-ˌhȯl 

adjective

long-haul truckers

Boeing has configured the long-haul Dreamliner with eight seats across in the coach section, with an option for nine.

—Bill Saporito

see also:

long-hauler

Synonyms of long haul

• mile

Examples of long haul in a Sentence

Driving across the country would be a long haul.

growing up in suburban New England, I used to think the 10 miles between our house and the mall was a long haul

Recent Examples on the Web

Dybantsa would seemingly fit well next to Murray at forward on both ends of the floor, and his play-making could allow Murray to become more of a secondary option over the long haul. —Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 15 Mar. 2026

While there remains uncertainty about the bullpen and the bench, and whether Jose Caballero can adequately command shortstop for the long haul, one area where there should be no concerns for the Yankees this year is starting pitching. —Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2026

McCarthy buying into this longer-term process might benefit him over the long haul. —Alec Lewis, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026

The operator goes on to say that Charlotte has access to long haul fiber routes and distribution paths along the East Coast. —Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for long haul

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids Definition

long haul

noun

1

: a long distance

2

: a long period of time

long-haul adjective