to long
- verb
- /lɔŋ/
- Oh how I long to see her again.
- long for home
- long to return
- long to go back
But if you're asking me, do I long to live forever?
- But if you're asking me, do I long to live forever?
- Why do you think we humans long to create art?
- We all, almost all of us, absolutely long to have Unix.
- Because I think most people long to own something.
Examples
-
I am sure my father hated the miseries of Guadalcanal and longed to leave the place.
Academic text (1990) -
The more I thought about it, the more I longed to avoid it.
Fiction book (1991) -
Why do you think we humans long to create art?
-
And then every day we long to go unconscious.
-
But if you're asking me, do I long to live forever?
-
We all, almost all of us, absolutely long to have Unix.
-
I gave myself up to it, longing for transformation.
-
Do you really long for chaos and disharmony?
-
He longs for the greenness of his native land.
-
Oh how I long to see her again.
Synonyms
To want something very much
To want something very much when you cannot have it
To have a strong wish for something
To want something very much for a long time
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
An informal greeting used when you have not had news from someone for a long time
- Informal
Say this when you cannot give a clear answer because it depends on things you do not know
- Archaic
To tell a story in a way that makes what happened sound bigger or not true
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
- Specialized
A long hard part inside the arm or leg like the femur that has a soft center
- Specialized
A market where many rare items, each sold in small numbers, together make a large part of sales
A tool like a broom or pan with a longer handle to reach high places without bending
A stretch of water between Long Island and Connecticut on the US Atlantic coast
- Specialized
A type of radio signal with waves longer than one kilometre used for long distance broadcasting
- Specialized
A golf club with a long shaft and angled face for hitting long, low shots
- Specialized
Move in chess where the king moves two squares toward the queenside rook and the rook moves beside the king
- Jargon
Move the king two squares toward the queen's side and put the rook next to it
- Jargon
A chess move where the king moves two squares toward the queenside and the rook moves beside the king
- Archaic
A long piece of gymnastics equipment like a bench that gymnasts run and jump over lengthwise
How Strong
Surface Forms
Etymology
Long as a verb comes from an old word meaning 'to feel a strong wish'. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine wanting something that feels 'far away', so to 'long' for it is to yearn deeply until it comes closer.