Long

/lɒŋ/ adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang

adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A long vowel.
  • Grammar: long is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: a mile long, ache, ache for, ache to.
  • Useful contrasts: brief, low, shallow.
  • Usage evidence: I suppose it's different when you think about it over the long term.

How to use "long"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "long" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "long" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "long" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "long" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "long" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "a mile long" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "long", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A long vowel.

    "In French most vowels are half-long, and are only occasionally lengthened or shortened into full longs and shorts."

  2. 2
    Abbreviation of longitude. abbreviation, alt-of
  3. 3
    A long syllable.
  4. 4
    A note formerly used in music, one half the length of a large, twice that of a breve.
  5. 5
    A long integer variable, twice the size of an int, two or four times the size of a short, and half of a long long.

    "A long is typically 64 bits in a 32-bit environment."

Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    An entity with a long position in an asset; for example, a trader or investor possessing an amount of a company's shares.

    "Every uptick made the longs cheer."

  2. 7
    A long-maturity security, such as a ten- or twenty-year bond.

    "Likewise, if borrowers prefer to sell short-maturity issues at the time lenders prefer to invest in longs, as is the case when interest rates are expected to fall, longer maturity issues will tend to yield less than shorter maturity issues."

  3. 8
    Clipping of long vacation (“summer vacation”). abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, dated

    "“[…] Did I not forbid all these nicknames and all this Oxfordish, by proclamation, last Long.” “Last Long?” “Hem! last protracted vacation.”"

Verb
  1. 1
    To take a long position in. transitive

    "The left panel shows the profile of a portfolio consisting of longing a call and shorting a put."

  2. 2
    To await, aspire, desire greatly (something to occur or to be true). intransitive

    "She longed for him to come back."

  3. 3
    To be appropriate to, to pertain or belong to. archaic

    "A goodly Armour, and full rich aray, / Which long’d to Angela, the Saxon Queene, / All fretted round with gold, and goodly wel beseene."

  4. 4
    To belong. obsolete

    "Now ſend Ambaſſage to thy neighbor Kinges, And let them know the Perſian King is chang’d: From one that knew not what a King ſhould doe, To one that can commaund what longs there to: […]"

  5. 5
    desire strongly or persistently wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Having much distance in space from one end to the other.

    "I need a long piece of wood."

  2. 2
    On account of, because of. archaic, not-comparable

    "I am of opinion, that in regarde of theſe debauches and lewde actions, fathers may, in ſome ſort, be blamed, and that it is onely long of them."

  3. 3
    Having much distance in space from one end to the other.; Specifically, having much distance in a horizontal dimension (see also Usage Notes below).

    "This table is long but not very high."

  4. 4
    Having much distance in space from one end to the other.; Travelling a great distance.

    "Smith hoofs a long ball up to Jones."

  5. 5
    Having much distance in space from one end to the other.; Having a long penis. informal

    "My ex was very strong but not very long."

Show 15 more definitions
  1. 6
    Travelling or extending too great a distance in space.; Passing or landing ahead of or beyond the intended target or location. usually

    "The plane touched down long and overran the end of the runway."

  2. 7
    Travelling or extending too great a distance in space.; Going beyond the intended target.

    "That forehand was long. It landed two feet beyond the baseline."

  3. 8
    Having great duration.

    "His speech was long and dull."

  4. 9
    Seeming to last a lot of time, due to being boring, tedious, tiring, irksome, etc.

    "It took us three long weeks to clear the stones from the field."

  5. 10
    Not short; tall. Ireland, UK, dated

    "The colonel and his sponsor made a queer contrast: Greystone [the sponsor] long and stringy, with a face that seemed as if a cold wind was eternally playing on it."

  6. 11
    Possessing or owning stocks, bonds, commodities, or other financial instruments with the aim of benefiting from an expected rise in their value.

    "I’m long in DuPont."

  7. 12
    Of a fielding position, close to the boundary (or closer to the boundary than the equivalent short position).
  8. 13
    Of betting odds, offering a very large return for a small wager.
  9. 14
    Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away.

    "But Campbell thus did ſhut vp all in ieſt, / Braue Knights and Ladies, certes ye doe wrong / To ſtirre vp ſtrife, when moſt vs needeth reſt, / That we may vs reſerue both freſh and ſtrong, / Againſt the Turneiment which is not long."

  10. 15
    In great supply; abundant. Multicultural-London-English, slang

    "I’m talkin’ ’bout… I’m talkin’ ’bout that long money."

  11. 16
    Clipping of taking a long time. Multicultural-London-English, abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, slang

    ""Cadet, Cadet!" Not every day, fam. Can't you see why it's long? I just wanna get my creps and be gone."

  12. 17
    stupid; annoying; bullshit Multicultural-London-English, broadly, slang

    "[Verse 1: Sleeks]: Keep thinking about Ps that I need but it’s long. All these things that I've done in the streets got me on my knees trying to reason with God. B-B beefin’ is long but I might still greeze up a Don."

  13. 18
    serious; deadly. Multicultural-London-English, broadly, slang

    "JAMIE: Yo, if I see you man round here again, it is long for you!"

  14. 19
    Measuring 8½ in × 13 in. Canada, US
  15. 20
    Measuring 8½ in × 14 in. Philippines
Adjective
  1. 1
    having or being more than normal or necessary wordnet
  2. 2
    primarily spatial sense; of relatively great or greater than average spatial extension or extension as specified wordnet
  3. 3
    primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified wordnet
  4. 4
    (of speech sounds or syllables) of relatively long duration wordnet
  5. 5
    holding securities or commodities in expectation of a rise in prices wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    planning prudently for the future wordnet
  2. 7
    good at remembering wordnet
  3. 8
    involving substantial risk wordnet
  4. 9
    of relatively great height wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    Over a great distance in space.

    "Every golfer wants to hit the ball long and straight."

  2. 2
    Over a great distance in space.; Over too great a distance, beyond the target.

    "She hit her return long and lost the point."

  3. 3
    For a particular duration (specified by additional qualifying words accompanying it).

    "How long is it until the next bus arrives?"

  4. 4
    For a long time. adjective, adverb, participle

    "Paris has long been considered one of the most cultured cities in the world."

  5. 5
    For a long time. rare

    "It’s an earth song,— And I’ve been waiting long for an earth song. It’s a spring song,— And I’ve been waiting long for a spring song.[…] I have been waiting long for this spring song."

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    A long time (see usage notes).

    "Will this interview take long?"

Adverb
  1. 1
    for an extended time or at a distant time wordnet
  2. 2
    for an extended distance wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname transferred from the nickname. Originally a nickname for a tall man. countable, uncountable

    "Huey Long"

  2. 2
    A surname from Chinese. countable
  3. 3
    An unincorporated community in Columbia County, Washington, United States. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    A county of Baoji, Shaanxi, China. countable, uncountable

    "“Long” is an ancient name for the area around what is now Long County in Shaanxi Province. The land south of Long is the Sichuan Basin."

  5. 5
    A commune in Somme department, Hauts-de-France, France. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
a mile longacheache forache toachedaches

Example

"I suppose it's different when you think about it over the long term."

Common questions

What does "long" mean?

A long vowel.

What is a synonym for "long"?

Common synonyms include: a mile long, ache, ache for, ache to, ached, aches.

How do you use "long" in a sentence?

I suppose it's different when you think about it over the long term.

How do you pronounce "long"?

Pronounced /lɒŋ/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English long, lang, from Old English long, lang (“long, tall, lasting”), from Proto-West Germanic *lang, from Proto-Germanic *langaz (“long”), from Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos (“long”). Cognates Cognate with Scots lang (“long”), Yola lhaung, long (“long”), North Frisian long, lung, lüng (“long”), Saterland Frisian loang (“long”), West Frisian lang (“long”), Cimbrian lång (“long”), Dutch, German, and Low German lang (“long”), Luxembourgish laang (“long”), Mòcheno lònk (“long”), Vilamovian łaong (“long”), Yiddish לאַנג (lang, “long”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk lang (“long”), Faroese and Icelandic langur (“long”), Swedish lång (“long”), Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌲𐍃 (laggs, “long”); also Latin longus (“long”) (whence French long (“long”), Italian lungo (“long”), Portuguese longo (“long”), Spanish luengo (“long”)), Ancient Greek δολιχός (dolikhós, “long; wearisome”), Albanian gjatë (“long; tall”), Latvian ilgs (“long”), Lithuanian ilgas (“long”), Belarusian до́ўгі (dówhi, “long”), Bulgarian дъ́лъг (dǎ́lǎg, “long”), Czech dlúhý (“long”), Macedonian долг (dolg, “long”), Polish długi (“long”), Russian дли́нный (dlínnyj, “lengthy, long”), до́лгий (dólgij, “long”), Serbo-Croatian ду̏г, dȕg (“long”), Slovak dlhý (“long”), Slovene dolg (“long”), Ukrainian до́вгий (dóvhyj, “long”), Ossetian даргъ (darǧ, “late”), Central Kurdish دێر (dêr), درەنگ (dreng, “late”), Northern Kurdish dereng (“late”), Persian دیر (dēr / dir, “late; long”), درنگ (derang, “delay”), Sanskrit दीर्घ (dīrgha, “long”) (whence Bengali দীর্ঘ (dirgho, “long; tall”), Dhivehi ދިގު (digu, “long, lengthy”), Kalasha driga, dríga (“long; tall”), Kholosi taɽgo (“long”), Khowar درونگ (drung, “long”), Hindi दीर्घ (dīrgh, “long; tall; weighty”), Nepali दिघो (digho, “stable”), Odia ଦୀର୍ଘ (dirgha, “long”), Sinhalese දිග (diga, “long”), Urdu دیرگھ (dīrgh, “long; tall; weighty”)), Kamkata-viri drëgeř, drëgëř, drëŋëň, dërëgeň (“long; tall”), Prasuni jigni (“long; tall”). The word shows the regular historical change of a to o before certain consonant clusters such as ng (compare with other examples in Middle and Modern English such as bond, song, throng, and wrong). The o-form may have also been reinforced by Old French long, from Latin longus, from the same Indo-European word. Doublet of lungo and lunge.

Etymology 2

From Middle English longe, lange, from Old English longe, lange, from the adjective (see above).

Etymology 3

From Middle English longen, from Old English langian (“to long for, yearn after, grieve for, be pained, lengthen, grow longer, summon, belong”), from Proto-West Germanic *langōn, from Proto-Germanic *langōną (“to desire, long for”), from Proto-Indo-European *lengʷʰ- (“to be easy, be quick, jump, move around, vary”). Cognate with German langen (“to reach, be sufficient”), Swedish langa (“to push, pass by hand”), Icelandic langa (“to want, desire”), Dutch, German verlangen (“to desire, want, long for”).

Etymology 4

From Middle English long, lang, an aphetic form of Middle English ilong, ylong, from Old English ġelong, ġelang (“along, belonging, depending, consequent”); the verb later reinterpreted as an aphetic form of belong.

Etymology 5

Shortening of longitude.

Etymology 6

From Middle English longen, from Old English langian (“to belong, pertain”), from Old English *lang, which is of uncertain origin yet related to Old English ġelang (“dependent, attainable, present, belonging, consequent”), Old Saxon gilang (“ready, available”).

Etymology 7

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation for 隴/陇 (Lǒng).

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