long
adverb/lɒŋ/
/lɔːŋ/
(longer
/ˈlɒŋɡə(r)/
/ˈlɔːŋɡər/
, longest /ˈlɒŋɡɪst/
/ˈlɔːŋɡɪst/
)Word Family
Idioms - long adjective adverb
- length noun
- lengthy adjective
- lengthen verb
- for a long time
- Have you been here long?
- Stay as long as you like.
- The party went on long into the night.
- You shouldn't have to wait too long.
- Now we're living longer and retiring later.
- This may take longer than we thought.
- Shows don't usually last this long.
- I won't be long (= I'll return, be ready, etc. soon).
- How long have you been waiting?
- Those carefree college years are long gone.
- These reforms are long overdue.
- Sophie needs to think long and hard about where she's going next.
Which Word? (for) long / (for) a long time(for) long / (for) a long timeBoth (for) long and (for) a long time are used as expressions of time.- In positive sentences (for) a long time is used:
- We’ve been friends a long time.
- I stayed out in the sun for too long.
- You’ve been waiting long enough.
- Both (for) long and (for) a long time can be used in questions, but (for) long is usually preferred:
- Have you been waiting long?
- In negative sentences for a long time sometimes has a different meaning from (for) long. Compare:
- I haven’t been here for a long time (= It is a long time since the last time I was here) and I haven’t been here long (= I arrived here only a short time ago).
- a long time before or after a particular time or event
- He retired long before the war.
- It wasn't long before she had persuaded him (= it only took a short time).
- before long We'll be home before long (= soon).
- long ago The house was pulled down long ago.
- Not long ago (= quite recently) phones were only used for speaking to people or maybe sending texts.
- long past something It was long past midnight.
- long since They had long since (= a long time before the present time) moved away.
- used after a noun to emphasize that something happens for the whole of a particular period of time
- We had to wait all day long.
- The baby was crying all night long.
- They stayed up the whole night long.
Word Originadverb Old English lang, long (adjective), lange, longe (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German lang.
Idioms
See long in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee long in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishas/so long as
- only if
- We'll go as long as the weather is good.
- since; to the extent that
- Most experts agree that so long as there is money to be made, ransomware attacks will not stop.
for (so) long
- for (such) a long time
- Will you be away for long?
- I'm sorry I haven't written to you for so long.
he who laughs last laughs longest
- (saying) used to tell somebody not to be too proud of their present success; in the end another person may be more successfulTopics Successc2
how long have you got? (British English)
(North American English how long do you have?)
- (informal) used to say that something is going to take a long time to explain
- What do I think about it? How long have you got?
long live somebody/something
- used to say that you hope somebody/something will live or last for a long time
- Long live the King!
- Long live public libraries!
no/any longer
- used to say that something that was possible or true before, is not now
- I can't wait any longer.
- He no longer lives here.
so long
- (informal) goodbye
Check pronunciation:
long