Meaning of long in English

We use the nouns length, width, depth and height and the adjectives long, wide, deep and high to talk about area and size: …

We use the nouns length, width, depth and height and the adjectives long, wide, deep and high to talk about area and size: …

We use many different expressions to describe frequency, speed and time. Here are some of them: …

No longer, not any longer

We use no longer or not any longer to talk about the end of an action or state. No longer is more formal: …

Idioms

be long in the tooth
before (very/too) long
go a long way
go a long way toward(s) doing something
go back a long way
have come a long way
how long is a piece of string?
it's a long story
the long arm of the law
(as) long as your arm

More idioms

a long face
long live someone/something!
long on something and short on something
long story short
long time no see
a long way to go
no longer
not by a long shot
not long for this world
so long
take a long, hard look at something
take the long view

long

adverb

/lɒŋ/ us

/lɑːŋ/

long adverb (TIME)

used to mean "(for) a long time", especially in questions and negative sentences:

Have you been waiting (for) long?

I'm just writing a letter but it won't take long.

How long have you been in England?

Don't rush - take as long as you like.

We've been walking all day long.

I've known her longer than you have.

I won't be staying much longer.

a long period of time before or after something:

She left the house long before I arrived.

It wasn't long before he was back with his family.

He did not join them until long after they had eaten.

used with the past participle or the -ing form of the verb to mean that a state or activity has continued for a long time:

a long-awaited letter

long-serving employees

More examplesFewer examples

So how long have you been married to Nicky?
Changes to the tax system are long overdue.
How long did Queen Victoria reign?
He's been single so long now, I don't think he'll ever marry.
I do apologize - my train was delayed. I hope you haven't been waiting long.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Lasting for a long time

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Long periods of time

long adverb (IF)

as/so long as

used to say that something must happen before something else can happen:

I can come as long as I can leave by 4.00.

Bring your friends by all means - just so long as I know how many are coming.

More examplesFewer examples

Windsurfing is perfectly safe as long as you use some common sense.
So long as he's happy - that's all that matters .
Goods are exchangeable as long as they are returned in good condition.
I don't foresee any difficulties so long as we keep within budget.
I don't mind being woken up once or twice in the middle of the night by my flatmate so long as she doesn't make a habit of it .

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Linguistics: connecting words which express a condition

Grammar

Long

Long is an adjective or an adverb. …

We use the nouns length, width, depth and height and the adjectives long, wide, deep and high to talk about area and size: …

We use the nouns length, width, depth and height and the adjectives long, wide, deep and high to talk about area and size: …

We use many different expressions to describe frequency, speed and time. Here are some of them: …

As long as and so long as

As long as and so long as are conjunctions. …

Should you (Should with inversion)

In formal situations, we can use should + subject (s) + verb (v) instead of if: …

Had you (Had with inversion)

In formal situations, we can use had + subject + verb instead of if in third conditional sentences: …

In formal situations, we can use if + were to when we talk about things that might happen but which we think are unlikely: …

As long as, so long as, providing, etc.

Sometimes we need to impose specific conditions or set limits on a situation. In these cases, conditional clauses can begin with phrases such as as long as, so long as, only if, on condition that, providing (that), provided (that). …

Or and otherwise

We often use or and otherwise with conditional meanings: …

Supposing

Supposing may be used with a conditional meaning. It can be used in first, second or third conditional sentences. The speaker invites the listener to imagine a situation: …

Conditionals: other expressions (unless, should, as long as)

Conditional clauses can begin with unless. Unless means something similar to ‘if … not’ or ‘except if’. …

Unless

Conditional clauses can begin with unless. Unless means something similar to ‘if … not’ or ‘except if’. …

long

verb

formal

/lɒŋ/ us

/lɑːŋ/

long for something; long to do something

to want something very much:

She longed to see him again.

I'm longing for news of him.

Synonym

yearn

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Wanting things

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Grammar

We use the nouns length, width, depth and height and the adjectives long, wide, deep and high to talk about area and size: …

We use the nouns length, width, depth and height and the adjectives long, wide, deep and high to talk about area and size: …

We use many different expressions to describe frequency, speed and time. Here are some of them: …

long

noun

/lɒŋ/ us

/lɑːŋ/

written abbreviation for longitude

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Countries, nationalities & continents: continents & regions of the world

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Grammar

We use the nouns length, width, depth and height and the adjectives long, wide, deep and high to talk about area and size: …

We use the nouns length, width, depth and height and the adjectives long, wide, deep and high to talk about area and size: …