Tra từ long - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

long [long longs longed longing] adjective, adverb, verb BrE [lɒŋ] NAmE [lɔːŋ] NAmE [lɑːŋ]
adjective (long·erBrE [ˈlɒŋɡə(r)] ; NAmE [ˈlɔːŋɡər] ; [ˈlɑːŋɡər] long·estBrE [ˈlɒŋɡɪst] ; NAmE [ˈlɔːŋɡɪst] ; [ˈlɑːŋɡɪst] )

DISTANCE
1. measuring or covering a great length or distance, or a greater length or distance than usual
• She had long dark hair.
• He walked down the long corridor.
•It was the world's longest bridge.
•a long journey/walk/drive/flight
•We're a long way from anywhere here.
•It's a long way away.
Opp: ↑short
2. used for asking or talking about particular lengths or distances
•How long is the River Nile?
• The table is six feet long.
•The report is only three pages long.

TIME
3. lasting or taking a great amount of time or more time than usual
•He's been ill (for) a long time.
• There was a long silence before she spoke.
• I like it now the days are getting longer (= it stays light for more time each day).
•a long book/film/list (= taking a lot of time to read/watch/deal with)
•Nurses have to work long hours (= for more hours in the day than is usual).
• (NAmE)He stared at them for the longest time (= for a very long time) before answering.
Opp: ↑short
4. used for asking or talking about particular periods of time
•How long is the course?
• I think it's only three weeks long.
•How long a stay did you have in mind?
5. seeming to last or take more time than it really does because, for example, you are very busy or not happy
• I'm tired. It's been a long day.
• We were married for ten long years.
Opp: ↑short

CLOTHES
6. covering all or most of your legs or arms
• She usually wears long skirts.
•a long-sleeved shirt
Opp: ↑short

VOWEL SOUNDS
7. (phonetics)taking more time to make than a short vowel sound in the same position
Opp: ↑short
more at it's as broad as it is long at ↑broad _adj., kick sth into the long grass at ↑kick _v., in the long/short/medium term at ↑term _n., go a long/some way towards doing sth at ↑way _n.

Word Origin:
adj. and adv. n. Old English lang long lange longe Germanic Dutch German lang v. Old English langian ‘grow long, prolong’ ‘dwell in thought, yearn’ Germanic Dutch langen ‘present, offer’ German langen ‘reach, extend’

Thesaurus:
long adj.
•There was a long silence.
long-lasting • |especially written prolonged • • lengthy • • extended • |formal protracted •
Opp: short, Opp: brief
a long/prolonged/lengthy/extended period
a long/prolonged/lengthy/protracted delay/dispute/illness
long/prolonged/lengthy/extended/protracted negotiations

Word Family:
long adjective adverb
length noun
lengthy adjective
lengthen verb

Which Word?:
(for) long / (for) a long time
Both (for) long and (for) a long time are used as expressions of time. In positive sentences (for) a long time is used: ▪ We’ve been friends a long time. (For) long is not used in positive sentences unless it is used with too, enough, as, so, seldom, etc: ▪ I stayed out in the sun for too long. ◇ ▪ You’ve been waiting long enough. Both (for) long and (for) a long time can be used in questions, but (for) long is usually preferred: ▪ Have you been waiting long?
In negative sentences (for) a long time sometimes has a different meaning from (for) long. Compare: ▪ I haven’t been here for a long time ▪ (= It is a long time since the last time I was here) and ▪ I haven’t been here long ▪ (= I arrived here only a short time ago).

Example Bank:
•At 900 pages, the book is overly long.
•Economy class can be uncomfortable for those with extra-long legs.
•His drive to work is fairly long.
•My hair had grown long.
•That dress looks a bit long to me.
•a pair of impossibly long legs
•an unusually long pause
•He let out a long slow breath.
•How long is the film?
•I haven't seen him for a long time.
•I think it's only about two hours long.
•I'm tired. It's been a long day.
•It took me a long time to accept the situation.
•Nurses have to work long hours.
•a long book/film/list
•a long corridor/bridge
•long hair
Idioms: ↑as long as ▪ ↑as long as your arm ▪ ↑at long last ▪ ↑at the longest ▪ ↑by a long way ▪ ↑cut a long story short ▪ ↑for long ▪ ↑go a long way ▪ ↑go back a long way ▪ ↑have a long way to go ▪ ↑have come a long way ▪ ↑how long have you got? ▪ ↑how long is a piece of string? ▪ ↑in the long run ▪ ↑it's a long story. ▪ ↑long and short of it ▪ ↑long arm of something ▪ long face ▪ ↑long in the tooth ▪ ↑long live somebody ▪ ↑long on something ▪ ↑long shot ▪ ↑long time no see ▪ ↑no longer ▪ ↑not by a long chalk ▪ ↑so long ▪ ↑take a long look at something ▪ ↑take the long view

adverb (long·erBrE [ˈlɒŋɡə(r)] ; NAmE [ˈlɔːŋɡər] ; [ˈlɑːŋɡər] , long·estBrE [ˈlɒŋɡɪst] ; NAmE [ˈlɔːŋɡɪst] ; [ˈlɑːŋɡɪst] )
1. for a long time
• Have you been here long?
• Stay as long as you like.
•The party went on long into the night.
•This may take longer than we thought.
•I won't be long (= I'll return, be ready, etc. soon).
•How long have you been waiting?
•These reforms are long overdue.
2. a long time before or after a particular time or event
• He retired long before the war.
• It wasn't long before she had persuaded him (= it only took a short time).
•We'll be home before long (= soon).
•The house was pulled down long ago.
•They had long since (= a long time before the present time) moved away.
3. used after a noun to emphasize that sth happens for the whole of a particular period of time
•We had to wait all day long.
•The baby was crying all night long.
•They stayed up the whole night long.
more at he who laughs last laughs longest at ↑laugh _v.

Word Origin:
adj. and adv. n. Old English lang long lange longe Germanic Dutch German lang v. Old English langian ‘grow long, prolong’ ‘dwell in thought, yearn’ Germanic Dutch langen ‘present, offer’ German langen ‘reach, extend’

Word Family:
long adjective adverb
length noun
lengthy adjective
lengthen verb

Which Word?:
(for) long / (for) a long time
Both (for) long and (for) a long time are used as expressions of time. In positive sentences (for) a long time is used: ▪ We’ve been friends a long time. (For) long is not used in positive sentences unless it is used with too, enough, as, so, seldom, etc: ▪ I stayed out in the sun for too long. ◇ ▪ You’ve been waiting long enough. Both (for) long and (for) a long time can be used in questions, but (for) long is usually preferred: ▪ Have you been waiting long?
In negative sentences (for) a long time sometimes has a different meaning from (for) long. Compare: ▪ I haven’t been here for a long time ▪ (= It is a long time since the last time I was here) and ▪ I haven’t been here long ▪ (= I arrived here only a short time ago).

verb intransitive
to want sth very much especially if it does not seem likely to happen soon
Syn: ↑yearn
•~ for sb/sth Lucy had always longed for a brother.
•~ for sb to do sth He longed for Pat to phone.
•~ to do sth I'm longing to see you again.
see also ↑longed-for
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
adj. and adv. n. Old English lang long lange longe Germanic Dutch German lang v. Old English langian ‘grow long, prolong’ ‘dwell in thought, yearn’ Germanic Dutch langen ‘present, offer’ German langen ‘reach, extend’

Thesaurus:
long verb I
•He had always longed for a brother.
hanker • |informal be dying for sth/to do sth • |written crave • |formal written covet • |literary yearn •
long/hanker/be dying/yearn for sb/sth
long/hanker/be dying/yearn to do sth
always/still long for/hanker for/covet/crave/yearn for sth

Word Family:
long adjective adverb
length noun
lengthy adjective
lengthen verb

Example Bank:
•He hated the city and longed for the mountains.
•He longed desperately to be back at home.
•She had always longed to go abroad.
•She had always longed to travel to other countries.
•They were the words she had secretly longed to hear.
•I'm longing to see you again.

See also: ↑how long do you have? ▪ ↑make a long story short ▪ ↑not by a long shot