longways

3.7

Along the long side of something

adverb
/ˈlɔːŋweɪz/

: a lo largo

He sliced the cucumber longways to make thin strips for the salad.

Examples

Fold the cloth longways before cutting it in half.
The sofa was placed longways to maximize space.
The beam was laid longways across the gap for extra support.
He placed the table longways against the wall.
She cut the fabric longways to ensure the seams aligned properly.
The team arranged the tiles longways to create a uniform pattern.
He laid the plank longways on the floor to check its fit.

Synonyms

lengthwise

vslongways

7 3.0

Along the longest side of something

is the neutral expression for direction along the length

longitudinally

vslongways

1 7.2

Along the length of something

is the common direction term rather than a technical one

lengthways

vslongways

3.4

Along the longest side of something

refers to direction along the length used in ordinary contexts

longwise

vslongways

4.6

Along the longer side of something

is the simpler word for the same length direction

endwise

vslongways

7.1

One end points in a particular direction when you hold or move the object this way

focuses on the simple direction along the length not on end facing

endways

vslongways

7.8

With the end pointing forward along the length of something

describes direction along the length without implying end-first view

Antonyms

crosswise

4.1

Across something instead of along it, sometimes meaning wrong or not as planned

breadthwise

6.7

Across the width of something rather than along its length

Compounds

longways dance

9.7

A country dance with couples in two long lines facing each other

Surface Forms

longways positive

longway positive

Morphology

longways = long (transparent) = long + ways

The adverbial meaning 'in the direction of the length' is directly derived from 'long' plus the adverbial suffix '-ways', which learners can infer from 'long' and 'way(s)'.

Etymology

Longways comes from the simple parts long and ways, meaning 'in the direction of length'. Think of folding a cloth along its long side or slicing a cucumber into long strips — that is doing it longways, so the word means 'lengthwise'.