long implies a wishing with one's whole heart and often a striving to attain.
longed for some rest
yearn suggests an eager, restless, or painful longing.
yearned for a stage career
hanker suggests the uneasy promptings of unsatisfied appetite or desire.
always hankering for money
pine implies a languishing or a fruitless longing for what is impossible.
pined for a lost love
hunger and thirst imply an insistent or impatient craving or a compelling need.
hungered for a business of his own
thirsted for power
Examples of long in a Sentence
Adjective
The bridge is the longest in the world.
We drove a long distance.
the long side of the building
The whale was 50 feet long.
βHow long was the race?β βThe race was five miles long.β
They've had a long and happy marriage.
She finds it hard to sit still for long periods of time.
The company has a long tradition of serving its customers well.
A day is 24 hours long.
The team has had a long streak of wins. Adverb
The extra food she brought did not last long.
They'll have to wait a bit longer.
The mall has long been a popular hangout for teenagers.
They have long been devoted friends.
It's been so long since we've seen each other.
It's been much too long since we've seen each other.
That meeting was way too long.
We had to leave long before we were ready to go.
We talked all night long.
events that occurred long before the discovery of America Noun
they should be here before longVerb (1)
I long for the day when cancer is but a distant and unpleasant memory
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
Philadelphia beat Colorado for the eighth consecutive time, Phillyβs longest winning streak against the Rockies.βπ Image Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026 Thatβs what has the Hornets in position to end the NBAβs longest current playoff drought.βπ Image Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 4 Apr. 2026
Participants will be allowed to hand-pick 32 colors from the 40-foot-long Pick Your Pack wall at the attraction.βπ Image Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026 Donica, across from her, is on sturdier ground, fearsome to the point of awe-inspiring in the sustained fury of his fermatas, though his considerable force as a performer longs to be shaped more cleanly.βπ Image Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
His family was also behind why Phillips, 35, longed to leave the FOX competition show early.βπ Image Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Apr. 2026 Cold Mountain exquisitely captures longing with a quiet gravity.βπ Image Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for long
Word History
Etymology
Adjective, Adverb, and Noun
Middle English long, lang, from Old English; akin to Old High German lang long, Latin longus
Verb (1)
Middle English, from Old English langian; akin to Old High German langΔn to long, Old English lang long
Verb (2)
Middle English, from along (on) because (of)
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adverb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
