What does “long” mean?
- 1
adjectivemeasuring a great distance from one end to the other
She has long dark hair.
- 2
adjectivecontinuing for a great amount of time
It was a long day at work.
- 3
verbto want something very much
She longed to see her family again.
Long at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective & verb
- CEFR level
- A1 (beginner)
- Pronunciation
- /lɔŋ/ · LAWNG
- Forms
- longer, longest
How to use “long” correctly
“How long” asks about time or length: “How long does it take?” “As long as” means “if” or “provided that”.
Common phrases with “long”
- a long time
- how long
- as long as
- no longer
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
Word family
- length
- lengthen
- longing
Idioms with “long”
- In the long run: Over a long period of time, or in the end.
- Long story short: Used before giving a quick summary instead of all the details.
“long” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- first adjectiveA1coming before all others in time, order or importance
- half nounA1one of two equal parts of something
- second numberA1coming after the first one in order
- best adjectiveA1better than all others
- better adjectiveA1of a higher standard or more suitable than something else
- big adjectiveA1large in size or amount
- dark adjectiveA1with little or no light
- different adjectiveA1not the same as another person or thing