any longer
225
1.4
- idiom
:
ya no
- And I'm not staying in Russia any longer than I have to.
- deny it any longer
- bear it any longer
No one looks up any longer or out.
- No one looks up any longer or out.
- But then if you can't go on any longer, he got you.
- It's just not wired properly any longer to a human's arms or legs.
- So I don't know any longer what the limit is.
- These are not folks who are holding on any longer for trauma bonded reasons.
- He couldn't any longer even speak, but he finished it.
- I've, I do not any longer believe that to be true.
- No part of the world can be quarantined any longer.
- Why are we not using descriptive adjectives any longer?
- And then she says you're not going to be able to hunt androids any longer, so don't look sad, please.
- And these days I don't really do a sport any longer.
- So he wasn't around any longer.
- And the Jews at that point couldn't take it any longer.
Examples
-
You don't have to stay here any longer.
-
Sorry, but I simply cannot hold this table any longer.
-
Is there no such thing any longer as due process?
-
We have no reason to hold them any longer if they agree to move to another site.
Fiction book (1991) -
No one could make war any longer without going to the Security Council.
Academic text (1994) -
No other plans were seriously considered any longer in the general sessions.
Academic text (1993) -
But I can't wait any longer.
-
I'm afraid we can't wait any longer.
-
When I couldn't stand it any longer, I went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.
Fiction book (1990) -
I don't want to stay here any longer; it's too uncomfortable.
Synonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'not anymore' is partially derivable from the parts: 'longer' relates to duration and 'any' signals extent/quantity, so in negative contexts a learner can infer cessation. However the phrase depends on negative polarity and has an idiomatic usage ('any longer' = 'no longer/anymore') that is not fully predictable from the constituents alone, making it only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Any longer comes from a simple idea about time: any means 'at any time' and longer means 'for more time'. When it is used with a negative, it says that something will not continue 'any more', so it means 'not anymore'.