- having considerable linear extent in space: a long distance; a long handle.
- having considerable duration in time: a long conversation; a long while.
- extending, lasting, or totaling a number of specified units: eight miles long; eight hours long.
- containing many items or units: a long list.
- requiring a considerable time to relate, read, etc.: a long story.
- extending beyond normal or moderate limits: a long, boring speech.
- experienced as passing slowly, because of the difficulty, tedium, or unpleasantness involved: long years of study.
- reaching well into the past: a long memory.
- the longer of two or the longest of several: the long way home; a brick with the long side exposed.
- taking a long time; slow: He's certainly long getting here.
- forward-looking or considering all aspects; broad: to take a long view of life.
- intense, thorough, or critical; seriously appraising: a long look at one's past mistakes.
- having an ample supply or endowment of something (often followed by on): to be long on advice; to be long on brains.
- having a considerable time to run, as a promissory note.
- distant or remote in time: a long date.
- extending relatively far: a man with a long reach.
- being higher or taller than usual: long casement windows.
- being against great odds; unlikely: a long chance.
- (of beverages) mixed or diluted with a large amount of soda, seltzer, etc.: highballs, collinses, and other long drinks.
- (of the head or skull) of more than ordinary length from front to back.
- Phonetics.
- lasting a relatively long time: “Feed” has a longer sound than “feet” or “fit.”
- belonging to a class of sounds considered as usually longer in duration than another class, as the vowel of bought as compared to that of but, and in many languages serving as a distinctive feature of phonemes, as the ah in German Bahn in contrast with the a in Bann, or the tt in Italian fatto in contrast with the t in fato (opposed to short (def. 16b)).
- having the sound of the English vowels in mate, meet, mite, mote, moot, and mute, historically descended from vowels that were long in duration.
- (of a syllable in quantitative verse) lasting a longer time than a short syllable.
- holding or accumulating stocks, futures, commodities, etc., with the expectation of a rise in prices: a long position in chemicals.
- Gambling.
- marked by a large difference in the numbers of the given betting ratio or in the amounts wagered: long odds.
- of or relating to the larger amount bet.
- (of clay) very plastic; fat.
- a comparatively long time: They haven't been gone for long. Will it take long?
- something that is long: The signal was two longs and a short.
- a size of garment for men who are taller than average.
- a garment, as a suit or overcoat, in this size: The shorts and the longs are hung separately.
- a person who accumulates or holds stocks or commodities with the expectation of a rise in prices.
- longa.
- for or through a great extent of space or, especially, time: a reform long advocated.
- for or throughout a specified extent, especially of time: How long did he stay?
- (used elliptically in referring to the length of an absence, delay, etc.): Will she be long?
- throughout a specified period of time (usually used to emphasize a preceding noun): It's been muggy all summer long.
- at a point of time far distant from the time indicated: long before.
- as long as,
- provided that: As long as you can come by six, I'll be here.
- seeing that; since: As long as you're going to the grocery anyway, buy me a pint of ice cream.
- during the time that; through the period that: As long as we were neighbors, they never invited us inside their house.
- soon: We should have news of her whereabouts before long.
- the point or gist of; substance of: The long and the short of it is that they will be forced to sell all their holdings.
- to have an earnest or strong desire or craving; yearn: to long for spring;to long to return home.
- to be suitable or fitting.
- to be the possession; belong.
- U.S. surgeon.
- U.S. politician: governor of Louisiana 1928–31; U.S. senator 1931–35.
- U.S. lawyer and politician: U.S. senator 1948–87 (son of Huey Long).
- U.S. army officer and explorer.
- longitude.
- having relatively great extent in space on a horizontal plane
- having relatively great duration in time
- of a specified number of units in extent or duration
- (in combination)
- having or consisting of a relatively large number of items or parts
- having greater than the average or expected range
- being the longer or longest of alternatives
- having more than the average or usual quantity, extent, or duration
- seeming to occupy a greater time than is really so
- intense or thorough (esp in the phrase a long look)
- (of drinks) containing a large quantity of nonalcoholic beverage
- (of a garment) reaching to the wearer's ankles
- plentifully supplied or endowed (with)
- phonetics (of a speech sound, esp a vowel)
- of relatively considerable duration
- classified as long, as distinguished from the quality of other vowels
- (in popular usage) denoting the qualities of the five English vowels in such words as mate, mete, mite, moat, moot, and mute
- from end to end; lengthwise
- unlikely to win, happen, succeed, etc
- prosody
- denoting a vowel of relatively great duration or (esp in classical verse) followed by more than one consonant
- denoting a syllable containing such a vowel
- (in verse that is not quantitative) carrying the emphasis or ictus
- having or characterized by large holdings of securities or commodities in anticipation of rising prices
- (of a fielding position) near the boundary
- (of people) tall and slender
- in the long run See run (def. 82)
- old or ageing
- for a certain time or period
- for or during an extensive period of time
- at a distant time; quite a bit of time
- into a position with more security or commodity holdings than are required by sale contracts and therefore dependent on rising prices for profit
- as long as or so long as
- for or during just the length of time that
- inasmuch as; since
- provided that; if
- not any more; formerly but not now
- a long time (esp in the phrase for long)
- a relatively long thing, such as a signal in Morse code
- a clothing size for tall people, esp in trousers
- a long vowel or syllable
- a person with large holdings of a security or commodity in expectation of a rise in its price; bull
- a note common in medieval music but now obsolete, having the time value of two breves
- soon
- the essential points or facts
- to have a strong desire
- to belong, appertain, or be appropriate
- longitude
- Crawford Williamson. 1815–78, US surgeon. He was the first to use ether as an anaesthetic
- for or lasting a long time