[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/long.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / long [← L](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/L/) # long «long» in Mova's school dictionary: **Long tells how much length something has from one end to…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it. ### part of speech adjective (long, longer, longest); adverb; verb (long, longs, longed — to wish) ### meaning for a pupil 1) Long tells how much length something has from one end to the other: «14 metres long». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#m1) 2) Long means having a big length: «long hair», «a long river». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#m2) 3) Long means lasting a big amount of time: «a long film». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#m3) 4) To long for something is to want it very much. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#m4) 5) (casual) «So long» means goodbye; «long time no see» means it's been ages; «long story short» means I'll skip the details. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#m5) 6) (casual) «Long» can mean boring or a lot of effort (UK slang): «homework's long», «that's long, man». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#m6) 7) (rude) «Why the long face?» asks why you look sad; «take a long walk off a short pier» means go away. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#m7) 8) (formal) Exams say «in length», «of a length of», «the duration», «longitudinal», «elongated» and «prolonged». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#m8) ### sense in the lessons how many metres or centimetres from end to end; «How long» asks for a length or for a time; phrases: «how long», «metres long», «hours long», «a long time», «as long as» (if), «long ago», «before long» (soon), «all day long»; in casual talk «long story short», «so long», «ages» for a long time, «that's long» (boring); in rough talk «how long you gonna be, I'm not waiting all bloody day»; in the exam voice «a length of 14 metres», «the duration of the journey», «the longitudinal dimension» ### examples - The red ribbon is 14 metres long. How long is the rope now? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#x1) - The film is 2 hours long. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#x2) - How long is the pencil? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#x3) - The Nile is a very long river. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#x4) - How long did it take you to walk home? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#x5) - You can play outside as long as you stay in the garden. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#x6) - She longed for a puppy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#x7) - bus at 8:40, it's 8:25 now, how long? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#x8) - Long story short, he ate 3 of the 5 pies. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#x9) - Ugh, this homework's long, 20 sums! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#x10) - A conduit of a length of 14 metres is reduced by 5 metres. State the residual length. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#x11) - Why the long face? Did you lose the match? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#x12) - Where have you been so long? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/#x13) ### note «How long» asks for a length, or for a time. Trap: «how long did it take» is about time, not metres. Trap: «as long as» means «if», not a length. «long» as UK slang (boring, hard work) has no number meaning. «of a length of» in an exam gives a length. Opposite: short. ### In the corpora - [Burnout means being worn down by too much work and stress for too long, until even small tasks feel huge.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/4-when-work-goes-wrong/15/) - [Many people are paid early in December, before Christmas, so January feels very long with the money already spent.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/5-where-money-comes-from/7/) - [Hot water costs energy to heat, so long showers cost money and leave less for the next person.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/6-paying-for-a-home-and-the-bills/20/) - [Big building jobs often take longer and cost more than planned.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/11-when-things-break/10/) - [A divorce can feel sad and also a relief, because a long, hard process is over.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/15-when-parents-separate/12/) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every meaning and example of «long» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/long/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.