before long
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
long 1
(lông, lŏng)adj. long·er, long·est
1.
a. Extending or traveling a relatively great distance.
b. Having relatively great height; tall.
c. Having the greater length of two or the greatest length of several: the long edge of the door.
2. Of relatively great duration: a long time.
3. Of a specified linear extent or duration: a mile long; an hour long.
4. Made up of many members or items: a long shopping list.
5.
a. Extending beyond an average or standard: a long game.
b. Extending or landing beyond a given boundary, limit, or goal: Her first serve was long.
6. Tediously protracted; lengthy: a long speech.
7. Concerned with distant issues; far-reaching: took a long view of the geopolitical issues.
8. Involving substantial chance; risky: long odds.
9. Having an abundance or excess of: "politicians whose résumés are long on competence" (Margaret Garrard Warner).
10. Having a holding of a commodity or security in expectation of a rise in price: long on soybeans.
11.
a. Linguistics Having a comparatively great duration. Used of a vowel or consonant.
b. Grammar Relating to or being the English speech sounds (ā, ē, ī, ō, o͞o) that are tense vowels or diphthongs.
12. Being of relatively great duration. Used of a syllable in quantitative prosody.
adv. longer, longest
1. During or for an extended period of time: The promotion was long due.
2. At or to a considerable distance; far: She walked long past the end of the trail.
3. Beyond a given boundary, limit, or goal: hit the return long.
4. For or throughout a specified period: They talked all night long.
5. At a point of time distant from that referred to: That event took place long before we were born.
6. Into or in a long position, as of a commodity market.
n.
Idioms: 1. A long time: This won't take long.
2. Linguistics A long syllable, vowel, or consonant.
3. One who acquires holdings in a security or commodity in expectation of a rise in price.
4.
a. A garment size for a tall person.
b. longs Trousers extending to the feet or ankles.
any longer
For more time: can't wait any longer.
before long
Soon.
long ago
1. At a time or during a period well before the present: I read that book long ago.
2. A time well before the present: heroes of long ago.
long in the tooth
Growing old.
no longer
Not now as formerly: He no longer smokes.
not long for
Unlikely to remain for much more time in: not long for this world.
the long and the short of it
The substance or gist: You can look on the front page of the paper for the long and the short of it.
long 2
(lông, lŏng)intr.v. longed, long·ing, longs
To have an earnest, heartfelt desire, especially for something beyond reach.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Adv. | 1. |  before long - in the near future; "the doctor will soon be here"; "the book will appear shortly"; "she will arrive presently"; "we should have news before long" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
قَريبا، بعْد قَليل
long1
(loŋ) adjective1. measuring a great distance from one end to the other. a long journey; a long road; long legs.
2. having a great period of time from the first moment to the last. The book took a long time to read; a long conversation; a long delay.
3. measuring a certain amount in distance or time. The wire is two centimetres long; The television programme was just over an hour long.
4. away, doing or using something etc for a great period of time. Will you be long?
5. reaching to a great distance in space or time. She has a long memory
adverb1. a great period of time. This happened long before you were born.
2. for a great period of time. Have you been waiting long?
ˈlongways adverb in the direction of the length. The planks had to go into the lorry longways.
ˌlong-ˈdistance adjectivelong-distance races; a long-distance lorry-driver; a long-distance telephone call.
ˌlong-drawn-ˈout adjective taking a needlessly long time. long-drawn-out discussions.
ˈlonghand noun ordinary writing as opposed to shorthand.
long house in tribal societies, a long rectangular dwelling shared by several families, especially in south-east Asia and amongst North American Indians.
long jump a sports contest in which people jump as far as possible.
long-playing record (usually abbreviated to LP) a record which plays for a long time.
ˌlong-ˈrange adjective1. able to reach a great distance. long-range rockets.
2. taking into consideration a long period of time. a long-range weather forecast.
ˌlong-ˈsighted adjective having difficulty in seeing close objects clearly.
ˌlong-ˈsightedness nounˌlong-ˈsuffering adjective
patiently enduring a great deal of trouble.
ˌlong-ˈwinded adjective (of a speaker or his speech) tiresomely long.
as long as / so long as1. provided only that. As/So long as you're happy, it doesn't matter what you do.
2. while; during the time that. As long as he's here I'll have more work to do.
before (very) long soon. Come in and wait – he'll be here before long!
in the long run in the end. We thought we would save money, but in the long run our spending was about the same as usual.
the long and the short of it the whole story in a few words.
no longer not now as in the past. This cinema is no longer used.
so long! goodbye!.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.