long Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb desire strongly or persistently
    yearn; hanker.
  2. adjective primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
    • a long life
    • a long boring speech
    • a long time
    • a long friendship
    • a long game
    • long ago
    • an hour long
  3. adjective primarily spatial sense; of relatively great or greater than average spatial extension or extension as specified
    • a long road
    • a long distance
    • contained many long words
    • ten miles long
  4. adjective satellite of relatively great height
    • a race of long gaunt men"- Sherwood Anderson
    • looked out the long French windows
  5. adjective good at remembering
    tenacious; recollective; retentive.
    • a retentive mind
    • tenacious memory
  6. adjective holding securities or commodities in expectation of a rise in prices
    • is long on coffee
    • a long position in gold
  7. adjective (of speech sounds or syllables) of relatively long duration
    • the English vowel sounds in `bate', `beat', `bite', `boat', `boot' are long
  8. adjective satellite involving substantial risk
    • long odds
  9. adjective satellite planning prudently for the future
    farseeing; farsighted; prospicient; foresightful; longsighted; foresighted.
    • large goals that required farsighted policies
    • took a long view of the geopolitical issues
  10. adjective satellite having or being more than normal or necessary:"long on brains"
    • in long supply
  11. adverb for an extended time or at a distant time
    • a promotion long overdue
    • something long hoped for
    • his name has long been forgotten
    • talked all night long
    • how long will you be gone?
    • arrived long before he was expected
    • it is long after your bedtime
  12. adverb for an extended distance

WordNet

Long adjective
Etymology
AS. long, lang; akin to OS, OFries., D., & G. lang, Icel. langr, Sw. lång, Dan. lang, Goth. laggs, L.longus. Cf. Length, Ling a fish, Linger, Lunge, Purloin.
Wordforms
comparative Longer ; superlative Longest
Definitions
  1. Drawn out in a line, or in the direction of length; protracted; extended; as, a long line; -- opposed to short, and distinguished from broad or wide.
  2. Drawn out or extended in time; continued through a considerable tine, or to a great length; as, a long series of events; a long debate; a long drama; a long history; a long book.
  3. Slow in passing; causing weariness by length or duration; lingering; as, long hours of watching.
  4. Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away.
    The we may us reserve both fresh and strong Against the tournament, which is not long. Spenser.
  5. Extended to any specified measure; of a specified length; as, a span long; a yard long; a mile long, that is, extended to the measure of a mile, etc.
  6. Far-reaching; extensive. " Long views." Burke.
  7. (Phonetics) Prolonged, or relatively more prolonged, in utterance; -- said of vowels and syllables. See Short, a., 13, and Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 22, 30. ✍ Long is used as a prefix in a large number of compound adjectives which are mostly of obvious meaning; as, long-armed, long-beaked, long-haired, long-horned, long-necked, long-sleeved, long-tailed, long- worded, etc.
Long noun
Definitions
  1. (Mus.) A note formerly used in music, one half the length of a large, twice that of a breve.
  2. (Phonetics) A long sound, syllable, or vowel.
  3. The longest dimension; the greatest extent; -- in the phrase, the long and the short of it, that is, the sum and substance of it. Addison.
Long adverb
Etymology
AS. lance.
Definitions
  1. To a great extent in apace; as, a long drawn out line.
  2. To a great extent in time; during a long time.
    They that tarry long at the wine. Prov. xxiii. 30.
    When the trumpet soundeth long. Ex. xix. 13.
  3. At a point of duration far distant, either prior or posterior; as, not long before; not long after; long before the foundation of Rome; long after the Conquest.
  4. Through the whole extent or duration.
    The bird of dawning singeth all night long. Shak.
  5. Through an extent of time, more or less; -- only in question; as, how long will you be gone?
Long preposition
Etymology
Abbreviated fr. along. See 3d Along.
Definitions
  1. By means of; by the fault of; because of. Obs. See Along of, under 3d Along.
Long intransitive verb
Etymology
AS. langian to increase, to lengthen, to stretch out the mind after, to long, to crave, to belong to, fr. lang long. See Long, a.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Longed ; present participle & verbal noun Longing
Definitions
  1. To feel a strong or morbid desire or craving; to wish for something with eagerness; -- followed by an infinitive, or by after or for.
    I long to see you. Rom. i. 11.
    I have longed after thy precepts. Ps. cxix. 40.
    I have longed for thy salvation. Ps. cxix. 174.
    Nicomedes, longing for herrings, was supplied with fresh ones . . . at a great distance from the sea. Arbuthnot.
  2. To belong; -- used with to, unto, or for. Obs.
    The labor which that longeth unto me. Chaucer.

Webster 1913