long

1 of 2

noun

1

: a long period of time

2

: a long syllable

3

: one taking a long position especially in a security or commodity market

4

a

longs plural : long trousers

b

: a size in clothing for tall men

see also:

the long and short

long

2 of 2

verb

longed; longing; longs

intransitive verb

archaic

: to be suitable or fitting

Synonyms of long

Noun

• forever
• months
• age

Examples of long in a Sentence

Noun

they should be here before long

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Reluctant med student Kel (Nicholas Duvernay) longs to be an actor. —Judy Berman, Time, 1 June 2026

Etna, a battle-scarred but kindhearted shepherd mix who was plucked from his home on the eve of an unspecified conflict in an unnamed country, has grown weary of war’s brutalities and longs to return to the coastal farm of his puppyhood. —Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 26 May 2026

Verb

People who long for community after a traumatic experience. —Shyla Watson, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026

Both actors are incandescent and the chemistry between them is off the charts, and Calvani is even more adorable this season as the demonstrative and frank Italian who longs for his homeland. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 28 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from along (on) because (of)

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing long

• a good long
• a (good) long while
• a little goes a long way
• a long story
• a long time ago
• a long time coming
• a long way
• a long way to go
• Asian long-horned beetle
• as long as
• as long as your/my arm
• at long last
• before long
• by a long shot
• come a long way
• decade-long
• decades-long
• for as long as one can remember
• for long
• for the long haul
• go a long way
• go a long way toward/towards
• go back a long way
• hour-long
• how long is a piece of string
• in the long haul
• in the long run
• in the long term
• long-acting reversible contraception
• long-acting reversible contraceptive
• long-ago
• long ball
• long bone
• long-chain
• long COVID-19
• long-day
• long-distance
• long division
• long-drawn
• long-drawn-out
• long experience
• long face
• long-form
• long gone
• long green
• long gun
• long-hair
• long haul
• long-haul COVID-19
• long-hauler
• long-horned beetle
• long-horned grasshopper
• long horse
• long hours
• long hundredweight
• long in coming
• long in the tooth
• long jump
• long-lasting
• long-leaved pine
• long-life
• long-liner
• long-lining
• long live
• long-lived
• long look
• long-lost
• long memory
• long meter
• long odds
• long on
• long-playing
• long-playing record
• long-range
• long reach
• long run
• long shot
• long-sighted
• long since
• long-standing
• long story
• long-suffering
• long suit
• long-tailed duck
• long-tailed macaque
• long-tailed weasel
• long-term
• long-term memory
• long-term potentiation
• long/thermal underwear
• long time no see
• long ton
• long underwear
• long vacation
• long view
• long weekend
• long-winded
• not by a long chalk
• not by a long shot
• not long ago
• not long for
• not long for this world
• not so long ago
• over the long haul
• over the long run
• over the long term
• so long
• so long as
• take long
• take the long view
• the long and short
• the long and the short
• the long and (the) short of it
• the long arm of the law
• the long jump
• the long run
• the long term
• yard-long bean

Rhymes for long

• bhang
• bong
• dong
• gong
• hmong
• jong
• longue
• mong
• pong
• prong
• rong
• song

Kids Definition

long

1 of 3 adjective

ˈlȯŋ 

longer ˈlȯŋ-gər  ; longest ˈlȯŋ-gəst 

1

: of great extent from end to end : not short

2

a

: having a specified length

a meter long

b

: forming the chief linear dimension

the long side of the table

3

: lasting for a considerable or specified time

a long friendship

two hours long

4

: overly long or lasting too long

a long look

a long explanation

5

: containing many or a specified number of units

a long series of wins

6

: being a syllable or speech sound of relatively great duration

7

: extending far into the future

8

: strong in or well supplied with something

long on golf

long on wisdom

long

2 of 3 adverb

1

: for or during a long time

long a popular hangout

2

: for the length of a specified period

all summer long

3

: at a distant point of time

long before we arrived

long

3 of 3 verb

longed; longing

ˈlȯŋ-iŋ

: to feel a strong desire or wish

longing to return home

Etymology

Adjective

Old English long, lang "extending a great distance"

Verb

Old English langian "to feel a strong desire for something"

Legal Definition

long

adjective

: owning or accumulating securities, goods, or commodities especially in anticipation of a rise in prices

a buyer long on wheat

compare short