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Glite Dictionary
by a long way

by a long way

1 3.0
By a much larger amount than others
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : de largo
  • Particularly in marathon running, he is the greatest ever, by a long way.

That is the best bit so far by a long way.

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Examples

  • So the Copenhagen summit has just heard that the last nine years are the warmest on record by a long way.

    Blog text (22)

  • It's not Hitch's best film, not by a long way.

    Blog text (18)

  • But this has been, by a long way, the best.

    Blog text (9)

  • The best comment on the thread... by a long way.

    Blog text (12)

  • In New Zealand, we don't have a perfect system by a long way, but you get to vote for a local candidate and a national party.

    Blog text (8)

  • They are outpacing download speeds by a long way.

    Blog text (19)

  • Not that she had any grounds for suspicion, other than that they were by a long way the least friendly folk she'd met since she'd been here.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • They're just doing their studies and doing their science, and the science shows that the earth is getting warmer at a faster rate (by a long way) than it ever has before.

    Blog text (8)

  • People will use the common (non-standard) options panel frameworks because it is easier, quicker, and better by a long way.

    Blog text (30)

  • But this has been, by a long way, the best.

Synonyms

quite a bit
vsby a long way
  • Informal
235 2.8

A fairly large amount

expresses a larger margin rather than a moderate amount
by far
vsby a long way
156 2.5

Shows that something is much better or more important than others

has identical meaning and is used in the same way
substantially
vsby a long way
129 4.9

To a large degree

is more informal and idiomatic while keeping large amount meaning
hugely
vsby a long way
84 2.1

To a very great degree

is similar but often used in casual or informal speech
massively
vsby a long way
47 3.4

To a great degree

is a common alternative that stresses a big amount
in a big way
vsby a long way
38 3.5

To a great degree and in an impressive way

conveys large effect but sounds more colloquial than formal
far and away
vsby a long way
14 3.7

By a lot more than others

conveys the same strong margin in a slightly different phrase
out and away
vsby a long way
6.2

Far better than the others

expresses the same margin but is less common in usage

Antonyms

barely
∞ 1.0

Happens only by a very small amount

How Big

by a landslide
  • Informal
9 3.8
by a long way
  • UK
1 3.0
by a long shot
  • Informal
9 4.1
by a nose
  • Informal
5 4.9

Surface Forms

by a long way positive

Morphology

by + a + long + way

The meaning 'by a large amount' is directly derivable from the constituents: 'by' marks the margin/extent, 'a long' signals a large degree or distance, and 'way' functions as a measure/degree (as in 'by a great way'). This compositional pattern is common in English and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows the individual words would likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

By a long way comes from the image of a race: one runner is ahead by a long way, a big physical distance between them. So, it now means 'by a large amount' or 'by far'.