long1

adjective (longer /ˈlɒŋgə/, longest /ˈlɒŋgɪst/)

• 1measuring a great distance from end to end:a long corridor long black hair the queue for tickets was long
• (after a measurement and in questions) measuring a specified distance from end to end:a boat 150 feet long
• (of a journey) covering a great distance:I went for a long walk
• (of a ball in sport) travelling a great distance, or further than expected or intended:he tried to head a long ball back to the keeper
• (of a garment or sleeves on a garment) covering the whole of a person’s legs or arms: a sweater with long sleeves he’s scarcely old enough to be in long trousers
• of elongated shape:shaped like a torpedo, long and thin

• 2lasting or taking a great amount of time:a long and distinguished career she took a long time to dress
• (after a noun of duration and in questions) lasting or taking a specified amount of time:a week-long course the debates will be 90 minutes long
• [attributive] seeming to last more time than is the case; lengthy:serving long hours on the committee
• (of a person’s memory) retaining things for a great amount of time.

• 3relatively great in extent:write a long report a long list of candidates
• (after a noun of extent and in questions) having a specified extent:the statement was three pages long

• 4 Phonetics (of a vowel) categorized as long with regard to quality and length (e.g. in standard British English the vowel /uː/ in food is long as distinct from the short vowel /ʊ/ in good).
• Prosody (of a vowel or syllable) having the greater of the two recognized durations.

• 5(of odds or a chance) reflecting or representing a low level of probability:winning against long odds

• 6 Finance (of shares, bonds, or other assets) bought in advance, with the expectation of a rise in price.
• (of a broker or their position in the market) buying or based on long stocks.
• (of a security) maturing at a distant date.

• 7(of a drink) large and refreshing, and in which alcohol, if present, is not concentrated.

• 8 (long on) informal well supplied with:an industry that’s long on ideas but short on cash

noun

• 1 [mass noun] a long period:see you before long it will not be for long

• 2a long sound such as a long signal in Morse code or a long vowel or syllable:two longs and a short

• 3 (longs) Finance long-dated securities, especially gilts.
• assets held in a long position.

adverb

• 1for a long time:we hadn’t known them long an experience they will long remember his long-awaited Grand Prix debut
• in questions about a period of time:how long have you been working?
• at a time distant from a specified event or time:the work was compiled long after his death
• [comparative, with negative] after an implied point of time:he couldn’t wait any longer
• (after a noun of duration) throughout a specified period:it rained all day long

• 2(with reference to the ball in sport) at, to, or over a great distance:the Cambridge side played the ball long
• beyond the point aimed at; too far:he threw the ball long