long
adjective/lɒŋ/
/lɔːŋ/
(comparative longer
/ˈlɒŋɡə(r)/
/ˈlɔːŋɡər/
, superlative longest /ˈlɒŋɡɪst/
/ˈlɔːŋɡɪst/
)Word Family
Idioms - long adjective adverb
- length noun
- lengthy adjective
- lengthen verb
enlarge imagemeasuring or covering a great length or distance, or a greater length or distance than usual（长度或距离）长的 - She had long dark hair.
她留着黑黑的长发。 - He walked down the long corridor.
他沿长廊走去。 - It was the world's longest bridge.
那座桥当时是世界上最长的。 - a long journey/walk/drive/flight
长途旅行／步行／驾驶／飞行 - We're a long way from anywhere here.
我们这里离任何一个地方都很远。 - It's a long way away.
那儿离这里很远。 - He had long, thin fingers.
他的手指又长又细。 - a lush meadow of long grass
一片郁郁葱葱的长草草地
Extra ExamplesTopics Appearancea1- Economy class can be uncomfortable for those with extra-long legs.
经济舱对那些腿特别长的乘客来说可能会不舒服。 - His drive to work is fairly long.
他驱车上班的路程比较长。 - That dress looks a bit long to me.
我穿那条裙子看起来有点长。 - After the hurricane, many are forced to wait in very long lines to get food or gas.
飓风过后，许多人被迫排很长的队等待食物或天然气。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- seem
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- She had long dark hair.
- used for asking or talking about particular lengths or distances
（询问或谈论长度或距离）长 - How long is the River Nile?
尼罗河有多长？ - The table is six feet long.
那张桌子长六英尺。 - The report is only three pages long.
这份报告仅有三页。
- How long is the River Nile?
- lasting or taking a great amount of time or more time than usual
长时间的；长久的；长期的 - He’s been ill (for) a long time.
他生病很久了。 - There was a long silence before she spoke.
沉默了很长时间她才开口。 - I like it now the days are getting longer (= it stays light for more time each day).
白天越来越长了，我很喜欢。 - a long book/film/list (= taking a lot of time to read/watch/deal with)
篇幅长的书；放映时间长的电影；一份很长的清单 - Nurses have to work long hours (= for more hours in the day than is usual).
护士都不得不长时间地工作。 - (North American English) He stared at them for the longest time (= for a very long time) before answering.
他盯着他们看了好长时间才回答。 - Chicago has a long history of country music.
芝加哥有着悠久的乡村音乐历史。 - to have a long life/career
拥有长久的生活/事业
Which Word? (for) long / (for) a long time(for) long / (for) a long timeopposite short- 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.
我们已经是好朋友很久了。
- I stayed out in the sun for too long.
我在阳光下呆得太久了。 - You’ve been waiting long enough.
你已经等得够久了。
- Have you been waiting long?
你等了很久了吗？
- We’ve been friends a long time.
- 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)
‘我已很久没到这里来了（即离上次我来此已很长时间了）’和‘我到这里没多久（即我刚到不久）’.
- 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)
Extra Examples- an unusually long pause
非常长的停顿 - He let out a long, slow breath.
他缓缓地吐出了一口气。 - It took me a long time to accept the situation.
我花了很长时间才接受这个情况。 - Winters are long and severe in the far north.
远北地区的冬天漫长而严酷。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- seem
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- He’s been ill (for) a long time.
- used for asking or talking about particular periods of time
（询问或谈论某段时间） - How long is the course?
这门课程要念多久？ - I think it's only three weeks long.
我想只有三个星期长。 - How long a stay did you have in mind?
你原打算待多长时间？
- How long is the course?
- seeming to last or take more time than it really does because, for example, you are very busy or not happy
（因忙或不愉快等）似乎比实际时间长的 - I'm tired. It's been a long day.
我累了。这一天可真够长的。 - We were married for ten long years.
我们结婚有十年之久了。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- seem
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- I'm tired. It's been a long day.
- covering all or most of your legs or arms
长的（完全或大部分覆盖腿或臂的） - She usually wears long skirts.
她通常穿长裙。 - a long-sleeved shirt
长袖衬衫
- She usually wears long skirts.
- long on something (informal) having a lot of a particular quality
擅长；颇具（某种特性） - The government is long on ideas but short on performance.
这个政府想法很多但不见成效。
- The government is long on ideas but short on performance.
- (phonetics) a long vowel is pronounced for a longer time than other vowels
（元音）长的 - Compare the long vowel in ‘beat’ and the short vowel in ‘bit’.
比较 beat 中的长元音和 bit 中的短元音。
- Compare the long vowel in ‘beat’ and the short vowel in ‘bit’.
distance
time
clothes
having a lot of something
vowel sounds
Word Originadjective Old English lang, long (adjective), lange, longe (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German lang.
Idioms
as long as your arm
- (informal) very long
很长 - There's a list of repairs as long as your arm.
有一份长得要命的修理单。
- There's a list of repairs as long as your arm.
at the longest
- not longer than the particular time given
最长，至多（不超过某特定时间） - It will take an hour at the longest.
这事最多花一小时。
- It will take an hour at the longest.
at long last
- after a long time
最后；终于 - At long last his prayers had been answered.
他的祷告终于应验了。
- At long last his prayers had been answered.
by a long way
- by a great amount
大量地；大大地 - He was the best by a long way.
很长一段时间以来他都是最好的。
- He was the best by a long way.
go back a long way
- (of two or more people) to have known each other for a long time
相识很久 - We go back a long way, he and I.
我跟他，我们俩相识很久了。
- We go back a long way, he and I.
go a long way
- (of money, food, etc.) to last a long time
经用；够维持很长时间 - She seems to make her money go a long way.
看起来她用钱细水长流。 - A small amount of this paint goes a long way (= covers a large area).
这种涂料用一点就可涂一大片。 - (ironic) I find that a little of Jerry's company can go a long way (= I quickly get tired of being with him).
我发觉跟杰里待上一会儿就受不了啦。
- She seems to make her money go a long way.
go a long/some way towards doing something
- to help very much/a little in achieving something
（对做某事）帮助很大／不大，作用很大／不大 - The new law goes a long way towards solving the problem.
新的法律十分有助于解决这一问题。
- The new law goes a long way towards solving the problem.
have come a long way
- to have made a lot of progress
取得大的进步；大有长进 - We've come a long way since the early days of the project.
这项目开始以来我们已取得很大进展。 - The study of genes has come a long way in recent years.
最近几年的基因研究取得了很大进展。
- We've come a long way since the early days of the project.
have a long way to go
- to need to make a lot of progress before you can achieve something
还有很长的路要走；还有很大差距 - She still has a long way to go before she's fully fit.
她还需要很长时间才能完全恢复健康。
- She still has a long way to go before she's fully fit.
how long is a piece of string?
- (British English, informal) used to say that there is no definite answer to a question
一条线有多长（意指没有确切的答案） - ‘How long will it take?’ ‘How long's a piece of string?’
“需要多长时间？”“没准儿。”
- ‘How long will it take?’ ‘How long's a piece of string?’
in the long run
- relating to a longer period in the future
从长远来看 - This measure inevitably means higher taxes in the long run.
从长远来看这项措施的结果免不了要多纳税。
- This measure inevitably means higher taxes in the long run.
in the long/short/medium term
- used to describe what will happen a long, short, etc. time in the future
长／短／中期内 - Such a development seems unlikely, at least in the short term (= it will not happen for quite a long time).
发生这样的情况看来可能性不大，起码短期之内应当如此。 - In the longer term, children of depressed mothers are more likely to suffer from childhood depression.
从长远来看，抑郁母亲的孩子更有可能患上童年抑郁症。 - In the long term, our efforts will pay off.
从长远来看，我们的努力会得到回报。
- Such a development seems unlikely, at least in the short term (= it will not happen for quite a long time).
it’s as broad as it’s long
- (British English, informal) it makes no real difference which of two possible choices you make
两种选择都一样
It’s a long story.
- (informal) used to say that the reasons for something are complicated and you would prefer not to give all the details
一言难尽；说来话长
kick something into the long grass/into touch
- (British English) to reject something or treat it as not important; to stop dealing with a problem
搁置；置之不理 - He tends to deal with disputes by kicking them into the long grass.
他处理争议的方法往往是置之不理。
- He tends to deal with disputes by kicking them into the long grass.
the long and (the) short of it
- used when you are telling somebody the essential facts about something or what effect it will have, without explaining all the details
总而言之；总的来说
the long arm of something
- the power and/or authority of something
（某事物的）权力，权威 - There is no escape from the long arm of the law.
法网恢恢，疏而不漏。
- There is no escape from the long arm of the law.
(pull, wear, etc.) a long face
- (to have) an unhappy or disappointed expression
闷闷不乐；哭丧着脸；愁眉苦脸 - He took one look at her long face and said ‘What’s wrong?’
他看了她一张长脸，问道：“怎么了？” - The news for the company isn't good, judging from the long faces in the boardroom.
从董事会上人们拉长的脸可以看出，对公司来说这不是个好信息。
- He took one look at her long face and said ‘What’s wrong?’
long in the tooth
- (humorous, especially British English) old or too old
年齿渐长；老朽
a long shot
- an attempt or a guess that is not likely to be successful but is worth trying
成功希望不大的尝试；把握不大的猜测；姑妄一猜 - It's a long shot, but it just might work.
没有什么把握，但也许行得通。
- It's a long shot, but it just might work.
(to cut a) long story short (British English)
(North American English (to make a) long story short)
- (informal) used when you are saying that you will get to the point of what you are saying quickly, without including all the details
长话短说；扼要地说；简而言之 - To cut a long story short, we didn’t get home until 3 in the morning!
长话短说，我们直到凌晨三点才回到家！ - Anyway, long story short: we had this argument and I haven't seen him since.
不管怎样，长话短说：我们发生了争吵，从那以后我就再也没有见过他。
- To cut a long story short, we didn’t get home until 3 in the morning!
long time no see
- (informal) used to say hello to somebody you have not seen for a long time
好久不见了
not by a long chalk (British English)
(also not by a long shot North American English, British English)
- not nearly; not at all
完全不；根本没有 - It's not over yet—not by a long chalk.
这事还没有了结，还差得远呢。
- It's not over yet—not by a long chalk.
take a long (cool/hard) look at something
- to consider a problem or possibility very carefully and without hurrying
极其慎重地考虑（问题或可能性） - We need to take a long, hard look at all the options.
我们需要十分谨慎地考虑所有的可选方案。
- We need to take a long, hard look at all the options.
take the long view (of something)
- to consider what is likely to happen or be important over a long period of time rather than only considering the present situation
从长远考虑 - As pension funds are investing for members’ retirements, they can take the long view.
由于养老基金正在为会员的退休生活进行投资，因此它们可以放眼长远。
- As pension funds are investing for members’ retirements, they can take the long view.