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having considerable or greater than usual measurement in length or distance:a long table; a long way to travel.
lasting a considerable length of time:a long story; a long trip.
extending, lasting, measuring, or totaling a number of specified units:[after a noun]The river was eight miles long.
containing many items:a long list.
extending beyond normal, moderate, or desired limits:He's been working long hours.
reaching well into the past:a long record of hatred.
taking a long time; slow:He was long in getting here.
forward-looking; long-range:taking the long view.
intense, thorough, or critical; seriously examining:took a long look at his life.
having a good or large supply or endowment:He's long on brains.
being against great odds; unlikely:a long chance.
Phonetics
(of a speech sound) lasting a relatively long time:long vowels.
having the sound of the English vowels in mate, meet, mite, mote, moot, and mute:The long vowels are sometimes written with a macron on top of them, as ā, ē, ī, and ō.
n.
a comparatively long time:[uncountable]They haven't been gone for long.
Clothing
[uncountable] a size of garments for men who are taller than average.
for or through a great extent of space or, esp., time:a reform that has long been needed.
for or throughout a period or extent, esp. of time:How long did he stay?
at a point of time far distant from the time indicated:long before now.
Idioms
Idiomsas long as:
provided that:You can watch television as long as you have finished your homework.
seeing that; since:As long as you're going, I'll go too.
Also, so long as.during the time that; while:As long as he has been in charge that division has done well.
Idiomsbefore long, soon:I hope I get to see you before long.
Idiomsthe long and (the) short of it, [~ + be + (that) clause] the essential point or end result:The long and short of it is that they'll have to sell the house.
long2/lɔŋ, lɑŋ/USA pronunciationv.
to have an earnest or strong desire or craving; yearn: [~ + for + object]to long for spring.[~ + to + verb]He longed to return home.[~ + for + object + to + verb]longed for her to kiss him.
having considerable linear extent in space:a long distance; a long handle.
having considerable duration in time:a long conversation; a long while.
extending, lasting, or totaling a number of specified units:eight miles long; eight hours long.
containing many items or units:a long list.
requiring a considerable time to relate, read, etc.:a long story.
extending beyond normal or moderate limits:a long, boring speech.
experienced as passing slowly, because of the difficulty, tedium, or unpleasantness involved:long years of study.
reaching well into the past:a long memory.
the longer of two or the longest of several:the long way home; a brick with the long side exposed.
taking a long time; slow:He's certainly long getting here.
forward-looking or considering all aspects; broad:to take a long view of life.
intense, thorough, or critical; seriously appraising:a long look at one's past mistakes.
having an ample supply or endowment of something (often fol. by on):to be long on advice; to be long on brains.
having a considerable time to run, as a promissory note.
Law[Chiefly Law.]distant or remote in time:a long date.
extending relatively far:a man with a long reach.
being higher or taller than usual:long casement windows.
being against great odds; unlikely:a long chance.
(of beverages) mixed or diluted with a large amount of soda, seltzer, etc.:highballs, collinses, and other long drinks.
Physical Anthropology(of the head or skull) of more than ordinary length from front to back.
[Phonet.]
lasting a relatively long time:"Feed'' has a longer sound than "feet'' or "fit.''
belonging to a class of sounds considered as usually longer in duration than another class, as the vowel of bought as compared to that of but, and in many languages serving as a distinctive feature of phonemes, as the ah in German Bahn in contrast with the a in Bann, or the tt in Italian fatto in contrast with the t in fato (opposed to short).
having the sound of the English vowels in mate, meet, mite, mote, moot, and mute, historically descended from vowels that were long in duration.
Poetry[Pros.](of a syllable in quantitative verse) lasting a longer time than a short syllable.
Stock Exchange, Business[Finance.]holding or accumulating stocks, futures, commodities, etc., with the expectation of a rise in prices:a long position in chemicals.
Games
marked by a large difference in the numbers of the given betting ratio or in the amounts wagered:long odds.
of or pertaining to the larger amount bet.
Ceramics(of clay) very plastic; fat.
n.
a comparatively long time:They haven't been gone for long. Will it take long?
Poetrysomething that is long:The signal was two longs and a short.
Clothinga size of garment for men who are taller than average.
a garment, as a suit or overcoat, in this size:The shorts and the longs are hung separately.
Business[Finance.]a person who accumulates or holds stocks or commodities with the expectation of a rise in prices.
Music and Dancelonga.
Idiomsbefore long, soon:We should have news of her whereabouts before long.
Idiomsthe long and the short of, the point or gist of; substance of:The long and the short of it is that they will be forced to sell all their holdings.Also, the long and short of.
adv.
for or through a great extent of space or, esp., time:a reform long advocated.
for or throughout a specified extent, esp. of time:How long did he stay?
(used elliptically in referring to the length of an absence, delay, etc.):Will she be long?
throughout a specified period of time (usually used to emphasize a preceding noun):It's been muggy all summer long.
at a point of time far distant from the time indicated:long before.
Idiomsas long as:
provided that:As long as you can come by six, I'll be here.
seeing that; since:As long as you're going to the grocery anyway, buy me a pint of ice cream.
Also, so long as.during the time that; through the period that:As long as we were neighbors, they never invited us inside their house.
bef. 900; (adjective, adjectival) Middle English longe, Old English lang, long; cognate with Dutch, German lang, Old Norse langr, Gothic langs, Latin longus; (noun, nominal) late Middle English, derivative of the adjective, adjectival; (adverb, adverbial) Middle English long(e), lange, Old English longe, lange, cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German lango
to have an earnest or strong desire or craving; yearn:to long for spring; to long to return home.
bef. 900; Middle English longen, Old English langian grow longer, yearn after, summon; see long1
See yearn.
long3(lông, long),USA pronunciationv.i.
[Archaic.]to be suitable or fitting.
[Obs.]to be the possession; belong.
1150–1200; Middle English longen to be suitable or proper, belong, derivative of long on account (of ), attributable (to), dependent (on), Old English gelang belonging (to), dependent (on); see along
Long(lông, long),USA pronunciationn.Crawford Wil•liam•son(wil′yəm sən),USA pronunciation 1815–78, U.S. surgeon.Hu•ey Pierce(hyo̅o̅′ē),USA pronunciation 1893–1935. U.S. politician: governor of Louisiana 1928–31; U.S. senator 1931–35.Russell B(il•liu)(bil′yo̅o̅),USA pronunciation born 1918, U.S. lawyer and politician: U.S. senator 1948–87 (son of Huey Pierce Long).
BiographicalStephen Harriman, 1784–1864, U.S. army officer and explorer.
for a certain time or period: how long will it last?
for or during an extensive period of time: long into the next year
at a distant time; quite a bit of time: long before I met you, long ago
into a position with more security or commodity holdings than are required by sale contracts and therefore dependent on rising prices for profit: to go long
as long as, so long as ⇒
for or during just the length of time that
inasmuch as; since
provided that; if
no longer ⇒ not any more; formerly but not now
n
a long time (esp in the phrase for long)
a relatively long thing, such as a signal in Morse code
a clothing size for tall people, esp in trousers
a long vowel or syllable
a person with large holdings of a security or commodity in expectation of a rise in its price; bull
a note common in medieval music but now obsolete, having the time value of two breves
before long ⇒ soon
the long and the short of it ⇒ the essential points or facts
Etymology: Old English lang; related to Old High German lang, Old Norse langr, Latin longus
long/lɒŋ/vb
(intransitive; followed by for or an infinitive) to have a strong desire
Etymology: Old English langian; related to long1
long/lɒŋ/vb
(intransitive) archaicto belong, appertain, or be appropriate
Etymology: Old English langian to belong, from gelang at hand, belonging to; compare along