long*/*/*/

[lɒŋ] adj I

1) lasting for a large amount of time

Ant:

short

He has a long history of mental illness.[/ex]

It's a long time since I saw Rachel.[/ex]

2) measuring a large amount from one end to the other

Ant:

short

It's the longest tunnel in Europe.[/ex]

There was a long queue outside the bank.[/ex]

a woman with long blonde hair[/ex]

3) used for saying how long something lasts, or how long something is from one end to the other

The room was 3 metres long.[/ex]

How long was the film?[/ex]

4) seeming to last for a very long time because you are bored or tired

It had been a long week.[/ex]

5) a long book, letter, report etc has a lot of pages

Ant:

short

6) long dresses, trousers, sleeves etc cover your arms or legs

Ant:

short

a shirt with long sleeves[/ex]

•

go a long way towards doing sth — to help someone to achieve something[/ex]

The money will go a long way towards paying for her medical treatment.[/ex]

have come a long way — to have made a lot of progress or improvement[/ex]

have come a long way — to have achieved a lot of things and made progress[/ex]

Technology has come a long way since the days of telegrams.[/ex]

have a long way to go — to need a lot more progress or improvement[/ex]

have a long way to go — to need to do a lot more before you are successful[/ex]

We've raised £100 so far, but we still have a long way to go.[/ex]

in the long run/term — not immediately, but at some time in the future[/ex]

In the long run, this will be a better solution for the company.[/ex]

long hours; a long day — if you work long hours, or a long day, you work more than usual[/ex]

a long shot — informal an attempt or guess that is not likely to be successful but that is worth trying[/ex]

It's a long shot, but I'll ask her.[/ex]

not by a long way/chalk — informal used for saying that something is not true at all[/ex]

We haven't finished yet - not by a long way.[/ex]

II

adv

long */*/*/[lɒŋ]

1) for a long period of time

I hope you haven't been waiting long.[/ex]

People are living longer nowadays.[/ex]

2) much earlier or later than a particular event or period

long before/after the war[/ex]

I should have ended the relationship long ago.[/ex]

•

all day/year/week etc long — for the whole day/year/week etc[/ex]

I don't think I could look after children all day long.[/ex]

as/so long as — used before explaining the conditions that will make something else happen or be true[/ex]

My parents don't care what job I do as long as I'm happy.[/ex]

before long — soon[/ex]

She joined the company in 1995, and before long she was promoted to sales manager.[/ex]

be/take long — used for saying or asking whether you will have to wait a long time for someone or something[/ex]

Dinner won't be long now.[/ex]

Will you be long, or shall I wait?[/ex]

It didn't take long to get there.[/ex]

for long — for a long period of time[/ex]

I haven't known them for long.[/ex]

no longer; not any longer — used when something happened or was true in the past but is not true now[/ex]

He no longer plays in an orchestra.[/ex]

III

verb [I]

long [lɒŋ]

to want something very much

She longed to see him again.[/ex]