How to Use long in a Sentence

long

1 of 4 adjective
  • The bridge is the longest in the world.
  • The team has had a long streak of wins.
  • We drove a long distance.
  • She finds it hard to sit still for long periods of time.
  • They've had a long and happy marriage.
  • The whale was 50 feet long.
  • The company has a long tradition of serving its customers well.
  • A day is 24 hours long.
  • Ross went 3-of-7, and hit two of his six attempts from long range.
    Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 8 May 2023
  • His long legs moved with a glider’s grace, and his long arm had the looseness of a whip.
    Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2024
  • Cap off the longest day of the year by watching this trio welcome the shortest evening of the year.
    Michael D'estries, Treehugger, 1 June 2023
  • Her brunette locks were pulled back in a clip with some longer whisps hanging down from the side of her bangs.
    Marisa Sullivan, Peoplemag, 8 May 2023
  • For a long while, Prigozhin looked like the solution to Putin’s problems.
    Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 24 June 2023
  • We have been seasoned CMBS investors for quite a long time, for more than a decade.
    Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024
  • These options all come with sturdy and stylish straps that are long enough to wear like a purse or a sling.
    Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Sep. 2023
  • At five feet long, this ramp is ideal for a short incline.
    Lindsay Modglin, Verywell Health, 25 Apr. 2023
  • It’s taken a long time to get there, and reading your column has helped!
    Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2023
  • Sounds early like Makiya might be a little bit longer term.
    oregonlive, 16 Sep. 2023
  • The pitching got better, the fences got longer and everyone caught up with me.
    Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2023
  • The city’s plans call for a span 3,300 feet long, supported by the existing piers.
    Danny McDonald, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2023
  • After a long lead-up, Black Friday 2023 is finally here with some of the best health and wellness deals of the year.
    Phoebe Sklansky, Health, 24 Nov. 2023
  • The style even features chafe-preventing seams that are key for tough workouts and long walks.
    Megan Schaltegger, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2023
  • Those who plan on carrying more stuff in the cargo box will want to opt for the longer standard-length bed versus the short bed.
    Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 12 Apr. 2023
  • The vacuum comes with a 2-in-1 brush, a long crevice tool, and an extensible tube.
    Nicol Natale, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2023
  • And so have the regulars, some of whom Stewart said she’s been serving for even longer than the 15 years she’s been at Breit’s.
    Allison Dikanovic, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2024
  • How to Do It: Start in a long sitting position, with one leg extended out in front of you.
    Brett Williams, Men's Health, 12 Apr. 2023
  • The best water filter pitcher with the longest filter life is the Epic Nano at 150 gallons.
    Maya Polton, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 June 2023
  • Everything from weather to long lines at polling places.
    Nbc Universal, NBC News, 30 July 2023
  • Learning the biology behind this age-old, rock-solid advice can encourage us to take other actions that will help promote a long and healthy life.
    Jessica Dulong, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
  • In Seefried’s and other cases, a judge ordered release effective once each defendant more or less completes his longest misdemeanor sentence.
    Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
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long

2 of 4 adverb
  • They'll have to wait a bit longer.
  • We talked all night long.
  • The extra food she brought did not last long.
  • We had to leave long before we were ready to go.
  • That meeting was way too long.
  • The mall has long been a popular hangout for teenagers.
  • It's been so long since we've seen each other.
  • It's been much too long since we've seen each other.
  • They have long been devoted friends.
  • The more of both that go into it, the longer the paint will last.
    Kate McGregor, House Beautiful, 18 May 2023
  • And the 60-year-old Chan has long been a creator who can read the room.
    Mathew Scott, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 June 2023
  • The Matadors took a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning, but that didn’t last long.
    Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024
  • Males and females of both species had long, curved tusks.
    Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2023
  • Young people have long struggled to amass the wealth needed to buy a home.
    Jane Thier, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2024
  • On average in the U.S., how long will a 65-year-old woman live?
    Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2023
  • These deals won’t last long, so make sure to shop the Nordstrom Black Friday sale soon.
    Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2023
  • In the 1980s, hemlines grew longer, waists got higher, and washes were lighter.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 19 July 2023
  • The Corvette was long known as the last high-volume sports car with a traditional pushrod V8.
    Eric Tegler, Popular Mechanics, 10 May 2023
  • The company didn’t reveal how long the ad breaks will be.
    Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 29 Jan. 2024
  • But Heav3n has been around long enough not to cling to one subgenre when defining itself.
    Lina Abascal, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2023
  • The lead didn't last long as Williams answered with a 3-pointer of his own on the next possession, and the Golden Lions led the rest of the night.
    Tanner Spearman, arkansasonline.com, 13 Nov. 2023
  • For your green thumb, find tips for saving money on houseplants and how to keep your plants alive longer.
    Rachel Kurzius, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024
  • Beware: Moore’s new novel shows the bereaved settling in the grave for a much longer embrace.
    Ron Charles, Washington Post, 13 June 2023
  • Then San Diego State grabbed four more long after those things mattered.
    Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
  • The work is considered one of the most expensive bridge projects in the country, and questions of how to cover the cost have long hung over the plans.
    Matt Stout, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2023
  • In general, here are a few tips to help keep your tree topper steady and in-tact all season long.
    Casey Clark, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Oct. 2023
  • Not long after, the Mystic River star was seen again with his new flame in Europe.
    Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2023
  • Kaiser Permanente has said the strike may cause high call volumes and longer wait times for patients.
    Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2023
  • All year long, kids of all ages and abilities are invited to take part in the free Junior Ranger program in parks and online.
    Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
  • If that's you, some huge and exciting video game releases are coming for summer 2024 to keep you busy — and out of the heat — all summer long.
    The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
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long

3 of 4 noun
  • Length The intense portion of the ride is about one-minute long.
    Lexie Sachs, Good Housekeeping, 20 Mar. 2023
  • Chad Ryland is 7-of-8 on field goals, with a long of 53.
    Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Oct. 2022
  • Charles Campbell has made 8-of-9 field goals, with a long of 51. ...
    Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Oct. 2022
  • Or is there a part of him that longs for the comfort of being the Big Dog in Portland?
    Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2023
  • In the early 2010s—the years Chayka longs for—the internet was all doge and doggos.
    Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 23 Dec. 2023
  • In the first half at Utah, the Ducks rushed the ball six times on first down for 25 yards with a long of 13 and had four rushes of three yards or less.
    oregonlive, 27 Nov. 2021
  • Tony Pollard had just 19 yards on nine carries with a long of eight.
    Dallas News, 26 Dec. 2022
  • Choose a stylish long, wool coat that’s belted at the waist for extra flair for only $150.
    Jamie Hergenrader, Travel + Leisure, 27 Nov. 2023
  • In the present-day storyline, Clare still longs for her mom, who died of cancer at age 45.
    Matt Jacobs, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 June 2023
  • Kelly missed the green long, Stricker managed to move it forward to the edge of a greenside bunker.
    Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel, 1 July 2023
  • That doesn’t seem like something that would result in this long of a delay.
    Drew Armstrong, Bloomberg.com, 14 Oct. 2020
  • Smith has four receptions for 32 yards with a long of 12, and one carry for three yards.
    Shannon Russell, The Courier-Journal, 25 Sep. 2021
  • Ruggles went 4-for-4 on field goals with a long of 46 in his most productive day of the season.
    Nathan Baird, cleveland, 24 Oct. 2022
  • McPherson hit 85% of his kicks through the regular season with a long of 58.
    Scott Springer, The Enquirer, 9 Feb. 2022
  • Burrow avoided pass-rushers and made throws, and even rushed for 28 yards on four carries - with a long of 11.
    Dave Clark, The Enquirer, 31 Jan. 2022
  • And that arrived when a long of 40 yards did versus wideout Laquon Treadwell and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
    Oliver Thomas, Forbes, 22 June 2022
  • Ariel, the youngest daughter of King Triton (Javier Bardem), longs to explore the above world, which is off limits to mer-folk.
    Nick Romano, EW.com, 9 May 2023
  • While not a romance at all, the film thrums with how much Sophie longs for the young father that, it’s implied, hasn’t been present in her life for decades.
    Vulture, 20 Feb. 2023
  • Grindle leads a joyless existence and longs for peace and quiet.
    Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2023
  • Safety Terrence Brooks left in the first half with a bruised long, did not return and was scheduled to spend the night in Indianapolis.
    Michael Marot, Chron, 17 Oct. 2021
  • His previous long was a 50-yard run against Miami in Week 1.
    Joe Harrington, The Enquirer, 9 Oct. 2021
  • Obviously, [there is] a long of anger toward Dr. Rudolph and a lot of feelings about Dr. Rudolph bled over…to the trial and the sentencing.
    Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 26 June 2023
  • To most of the U.S., this kind of heat for this long is a bit abstract, even as cities more used to blizzards than heat waves have grappled with their own short stretches of 100 degrees.
    Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2023
  • Among the big timbers, a twelve-foot long, two-inch-thick slab of cypress that spent untold years submerged in the delta or the bay before being dislodged to wash up on the shore.
    Lawrence Specker | Lspecker@al.com, al, 18 Sep. 2023
  • Even all those years later, Frankie still longs for Fran, and the two have a dynamic that continues to ruffle Leo’s feathers.
    Charna Flam, Variety, 24 Mar. 2023
  • Uiagalelei averaged a modest 3.7 yards per carry against Louisville with a long of 11.
    Todd Shanesy, USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2022
  • Myra longs to be invited to one of the dinner parties mentioned in the society page of the local newspaper.
    Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2023
  • Feeling trapped in her dead-end existence, Hazel longs for wider horizons, different people and places — in short, a change.
    Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 5 June 2023
  • So that now the singer longs to see a man again, as well as a river, and longs to take away the man’s daughter, and also banishes the river, and perhaps also banishes the man the river is named for.
    Caleb Crain, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
  • Whether your heart longs for metal, alternative rock, country, techno, new-wave, punk, Latin pop and smooth-jazz, there’s something for almost every musical taste on the roster thus far.
    Holly Alvarado, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2024
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long

4 of 4 verb
  • Where the film shows its heart is in the way Willy longs for his late mother (Sally Hawkins).
    Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Dec. 2023
  • So’s work defines a life of longing — and will leave you longing for more.
    Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2023
  • Cano had longed to be a father, and to that point, the couple’s efforts to have a child had been fruitless.
    Nathan Ruiz, Baltimore Sun, 1 June 2023
  • The Free dyes and Perfumes create an inviting scent that is sure to leave you and your guests longing for more.
    Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 11 Apr. 2023
  • Manning so nailed the mannerisms and soul of a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who longed for stardom that Davis also felt confused.
    Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2023
  • But Henson longed to be recognized by his own name, and for his own achievements.
    Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2023
  • Like most of the teenagers in her orbit, Lisa longs to be with someone who can relate to her disdain for the drudgery of everyday life.
    Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 26 Oct. 2023
  • The other is the teenage son of a successful defector named Soyeon Lee, who longs to reunite with her child.
    Steve Dollar, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2024
  • The field still longs for a better grasp of which neural circuits respond most to antipsychotics.
    WIRED, 7 Aug. 2023
  • Yet the hurdles aren’t deterring all of those longing to return to China or visit for the first time.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2023
  • Natasha's soul longed for something more during her lowest points.
    Svetlana Khachiyan, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
  • Actress Halle Bailey as Ariel, the iconic mermaid princess who longs to be part of the the mysteriously world housed above the ocean floor.
    Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 27 May 2023
  • While startups everywhere have longed to be named the next unicorn, yearning to be the next camel company in 2023 will prove its worth.
    Abdullah Snobar, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023
  • That bright future ahead, though, didn’t keep her from longing for some of the previous installments.
    Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 20 Apr. 2023
  • Longtime fans longing for the next J.J. Stokes may have found their man in the California transfer who combines speed, size and sure hands.
    Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2023
  • Still, Lloyd Webber longed to be thought of as a serious composer.
    Vulture, 28 Mar. 2023
  • The live-action reimagining starring Halle Bailey as the mermaid princess who longs for a life on dry land debuts in theaters this week.
    Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 24 May 2023
  • Tiny figures seem too far away for conversation but not far enough to long for one another.
    Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
  • But eventually the pair headed home, longing the next day would be better.
    USA Today, 15 May 2023
  • Its fantasias are more melancholic, its themes of longing more resentful.
    Allaire Nuss, EW.com, 6 Feb. 2024
  • Blocking the Pacific storms Bay Area residents who have been longing for a break in the rain can thank the return of high pressure for this weekend’s calmer weather.
    Anthony Edwards, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2023
  • Since then, all members have gone on to pursue solo careers — with Styles’ especially taking off — and fans have longed for the day when the group might reunite again.
    Ellise Shafer, Variety, 13 Apr. 2023
  • Compared to relying on flashes of inspiration in the past, Shang now longs for a more stable creative source.
    Billboard China, Billboard, 16 Aug. 2023
  • Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home.
    Shirley MacFarland, cleveland, 24 Aug. 2023
  • On her latest album, Broken Hearts Club, Syd takes a moment to long for acknowledgement.
    Neena Rouhani, Billboard, 11 Apr. 2022
  • Despite the long-standing problems, something about Rolling Fork leaves residents longing for it.
    Anumita Kaur, Washington Post, 19 Dec. 2023
  • Bandy also longed to leave a tangible mark on the Burbank community.
    Rachel Schnalzer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2023
  • Floyd is a salty French fry who longs for leaving the kitchen for adventures such as sailing the sea, climbing a mountain, and even visiting his family in Idaho.
    Nikita Charuza, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2023
  • Tender-hearted Maisie is studying to be a veterinarian, which her mother once had longed to be.
    Priscilla Gilman, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Aug. 2023
  • What emerges is that Oglesby has spent much of her life wrestling with the shadow of her father, who disciplined his children with whipping and other abuse and left his daughter longing to be told that she was loved.
    Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 29 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'long.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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