long 1 of 4

long

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noun

long

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adverb

long

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word long distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of long are hanker, hunger, pine, thirst, and yearn. While all these words mean "to have a strong desire for something," long implies a wishing with one's whole heart and often a striving to attain.

longed for some rest

When would hanker be a good substitute for long?

Although the words hanker and long have much in common, hanker suggests the uneasy promptings of unsatisfied appetite or desire.

always hankering for money

How are the words hunger and thirst related as synonyms of long?

Both hunger and thirst imply an insistent or impatient craving or a compelling need.

hungered for a business of his own
thirsted for power

When can pine be used instead of long?

The meanings of pine and long largely overlap; however, pine implies a languishing or a fruitless longing for what is impossible.

pined for a lost love

When is it sensible to use yearn instead of long?

The words yearn and long are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, yearn suggests an eager, restless, or painful longing.

yearned for a stage career

Example Sentences

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 Examples of long
Adjective
Kove's character John Kreese has long been a villain in the Karate Kid cineverse, appearing in three films, as well as more recently on the Netflix reboot series Cobra Kai. Lauren Huff Published, EW.com, 25 June 2025 And with its proximity to the Southwest, Colorado has a few of its own traditions for the patriotic holiday, including green and red chile, corn, beans and tortillas — foods eaten in Hispanic communities long before there was a Colorado or a Fourth of July. Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 25 June 2025
Noun
His first major market was former merchants and colonial administrators who longed for a souvenir of their time in Brazil. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2025 Isabel Allende: The beloved author left Chile at a time of great turmoil and has longed for the nation of her youth ever since. Lulu Garcia-Navarro, New York Times, 31 May 2025
Adverb
Israel is currently fighting the longest war in its history as the country marks 20 months of its ground operation in Gaza. Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2025 The series win against the Padres was also a credit to Roberts’ ability, and willingness, to play the long game. Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
Verb
And Haley Joel Osment is just terrific as the android who, like Pinocchio before him, longs to be a real boy. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025 But with cord-cutting long a fact of life and even far larger streamers struggling for mindshare, the company has been hit hard. Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for long
Recent Examples of Synonyms for long
Adjective
  • This revealed elongated filamentary structures stretching out for between 260,000 and 360,000 light-years.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 20 June 2025
  • The shoes feature an elongated, pointed toe that is pinched at the tip, a signature detail in the design house’s footwear.
    Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Adjective
  • The state also referenced the heavy toll a monthslong trial could impose on the families as well as the possibility of lengthy appeals even if Kohberger were to be convicted and sentenced to death, according to the letter reviewed by ABC News.
    Kayna Whitworth, ABC News, 1 July 2025
  • The theory of natural selection persevered, and the lengthy record of our ancient roots began to fill out.
    Laura Poppick, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • The 34-mile road winds through several ecosystems from cove hardwood to northern hardwood to pine oak to spruce fir.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 18 May 2025
  • Parts read like a narrative, other parts sound like a letter to the husband, sometimes explanatory, sometimes apologetic, sometimes pining.
    The Know, Denver Post, 18 May 2025
Adjective
  • The tusk, which is actually an elongated tooth, is mainly found in males and can grow up to 10 feet long.
    Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Chaos is a constant for the outdoor winter sport with single-elimination playoffs that relies on the bounces of an elongated sphere.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Argentina, at the bottom of South America, is a country way off course, and populated mostly with the children of Europeans for whom traveling is like breathing, who miss the world, the centers of culture, so very far way.
    Suzanne Jill Levine June 30, Literary Hub, 30 June 2025
  • Japan will begin building bomb shelters next year on its remote islands closest to Taiwan amid fears that its far western territory could become a legitimate target for Chinese missiles if China and the United States go to war.
    John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • One way to mess with an option team’s Plan A is to not only stick them with third-and-forevers, but to put them in an early hole, making them throw out of desperation.
    Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 14 Sep. 2019
  • Printed with thermochromic ink, the stamp reveals a second image of the moon when a finger is pressed to it, and a sheet of 16 Forever stamps features a map of the eclipse path.
    Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2017
Adverb
  • Whether they’re hired permanently or temporarily through an agency, these workers will now be covered by California’s workplace safety rules.
    Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2025
  • The countries that have mediated the negotiations between Israel and Hamas are pushing to restart those conversations to end the war in Gaza permanently.
    Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • For a bonus blanket kick, yearning K-drama, check out Something in the Rain.
    Leesa Cross-Smith, People.com, 21 June 2025
  • Some council members and City Hall critics yearn for a return to the previous city manager form of government as part of the answer to San Diego’s problems.
    Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Long.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/long. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

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