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Glite Dictionary
a long time

a long time

∞ 1.0
A period that lasts much longer than usual
  • noun
translation icon : mucho tiempo
  • He's been a friend of ours for a long time.
  • take a long time
  • a long time ago
  • a long time coming

I continued to think about this for a long time, like years.

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Examples

  • I've been in this business a long time.

    Thunderbolts* (2025)

  • So as a result, many people stay a long time in toxic jobs.

    DoctorRamani

  • I really could spend a long time looking at her work.

  • I continued to think about this for a long time, like years.

    Dr. Mayim Bialik

  • My first night out in such a long time.

    Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies (2012)

  • Look, this has been coming for a long time now.

    Bloodletting (1997)

  • This debate has been a long time coming for many years.

  • Grief can go on for a long time, and it can change.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Hey, I've been waiting a long time to do something like this.

  • I waited a long time for the train to arrive.

Synonyms

eternity
vsa long time
  • Informal
63 4.7

A time that feels very long when you are waiting

is the general phrase for extended time, not implying an endless state
in ages
vsa long time
  • Informal
28 2.4

For a very long time

means the same length but is more neutral and less colloquial
great deal of time
vsa long time
19 2.8

A long time spent doing something

refers broadly to an extended period without implying effort
forever
vsa long time
12 1.4

A very long time with no end

means a long period but not necessarily endless or permanent
years
vsa long time
2.6

A very long time that feels much longer than usual

is the neutral general term for a considerable period without number
a dog's age
vsa long time
  • Informal
7.9

A very long time since something happened

is the neutral term for an extended period, not an informal idiom
forever and a day
vsa long time
  • Archaic
5.6

For a very long time with no clear end

denotes extended time but without the strong indefinite or exaggerated sense

Antonyms

moment
∞ 1.0

A very short time or a particular point in time

How Long

forever
12 1.4
age
332 7.7
a long time
∞ 1.0
while
∞ 1.0
short-term
225 3.3
moment
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

a long time singular
a long times plural

Morphology

a + long + time

The meaning 'a considerable or extended period of time' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'long' (extended in duration) with 'time' (a period or duration); the article 'a' does not alter compositional meaning. This adjective + noun composition is a basic, cross-linguistic pattern and would be immediately clear to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

A long time may come from using long, a word for distance, to talk about time; imagine a very long road that takes many days to walk, and you can see why it means 'a long period'.