{
    "term": "long",
    "partOfSpeech": "adjective",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "a1",
    "image": "data/images/bo/body_hair.png",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "measuring or covering a great length or distance, or a greater length or distance than usual",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She had long dark hair."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He walked down the long corridor."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It was the world's longest bridge."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a **long journey/walk/drive/flight**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "We're **a long way** from anywhere here."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It's a **long way away**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He had long, thin fingers."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a lush meadow of long grass"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Economy class can be uncomfortable for those with long legs."
                },
                {
                    "text": "His drive to work is fairly long."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There was a long queue for tickets."
                },
                {
                    "text": "After the hurricane, many are forced to wait in very long lines to get food or gas."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Appearance"],
            "collocations": {
                "verbs": ["be", "look", "seem"],
                "adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "used for asking or talking about particular lengths or distances",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "**How long** is the River Nile?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The table is six feet long."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The report is only three pages long."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "lasting or taking a great amount of time or more time than usual",
            "labels": "(North American English)",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He’s been ill **(for) a long time**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There was a long silence before she spoke."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I like it now the days are getting longer *(= it stays light for more time each day)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a **long book/film/list** *(= taking a lot of time to read/watch/deal with)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Nurses have to work **long hours** *(= for more hours in the day than is usual)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He stared at them **for the longest time** *(= for a very long time)* before answering."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Chicago has **a long history of** country music."
                },
                {
                    "text": "to have a long life/career"
                },
                {
                    "text": "an unusually long pause"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He let out a long, slow breath."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It took me a long time to accept the situation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Winters are long and severe in the far north."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "verbs": ["be", "look", "seem"],
                "adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "used for asking or talking about particular periods of time",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "**How long** is the course?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I think it's only three weeks long."
                },
                {
                    "text": "How long a stay did you have in mind?"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "seeming to last or take more time than it really does because, for example, you are very busy or not happy",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I'm tired. It's been a long day."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We were married for ten long years."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "verbs": ["be", "look", "seem"],
                "adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 6,
            "definition": "covering all or most of your legs or arms",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She usually wears long skirts."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a long-sleeved shirt"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 7,
            "definition": "travelling a great distance",
            "cefr": "c2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The full-back intercepted an attempted long pass and ran through to score."
                },
                {
                    "text": "A hopeful long ball from out of defence led to a goal."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She's good with the driver and hits a long ball."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Sports: ball and racket sports"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 8,
            "definition": "travelling too far so that it goes out of play",
            "cefr": "c2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Her return of serve was long."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Sports: ball and racket sports"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 9,
            "definition": "having a lot of a particular quality",
            "sensetop": "long on something",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The government is long on ideas but short on performance."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 10,
            "definition": "a long vowel is pronounced for a longer time than other vowels",
            "labels": "(phonetics)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Compare the long vowel in ‘beat’ and the short vowel in ‘bit’."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "very long",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "There's a list of repairs as long as your arm."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "not longer than the particular time given",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "It will take an hour at the longest."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "after a long time",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "At long last his prayers had been answered."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "finally"
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "by a great amount",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He was the best by a long way."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to have known each other for a long time",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "We go back a long way, he and I."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to last a long time",
            "labels": "(ironic)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She seems to make her money go a long way."
                },
                {
                    "text": "A small amount of this paint goes a long way *(= covers a large area)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I find that **a little of** Jerry's company can **go a long way** *(= I quickly get tired of being with him)*."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to help very much/a little in achieving something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The new law goes a long way towards solving the problem."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to have made a lot of progress",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "We've come a long way since the early days of the project."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The study of genes has come a long way in recent years."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to need to make a lot of progress before you can achieve something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She still has a long way to go before she's fully fit."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Success"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to say that there is no definite answer to a question",
            "labels": "(British English, informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "‘How long will it take?’ ‘How long's a piece of string?’"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "relating to a longer period in the future",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "This measure inevitably means higher taxes in the long run."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to describe what will happen a long, short, etc. time in the future",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Such a development seems unlikely, at least in the short term *(= it will not happen for quite a long time)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "In the longer term, children of depressed mothers are more likely to suffer from childhood depression."
                },
                {
                    "text": "In the long term, our efforts will pay off."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "it makes no real difference which of two possible choices you make",
            "labels": "(British English, informal)",
            "examples": [],
            "topics": ["Preferences and decisions"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to say that the reasons for something are complicated and you would prefer not to give all the details",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to reject something or treat it as not important; to stop dealing with a problem",
            "labels": "(British English)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He tends to deal with disputes by kicking them into the long grass."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used when you are telling somebody the essential facts about something or what effect it will have, without explaining all the details",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "the power and/or authority of something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "There is no escape from the long arm of the law."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "(to have) an unhappy or disappointed expression",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He took one look at her long face and said ‘What’s wrong?’"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The news for the company isn't good, to judge from the long faces in the boardroom."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "old or too old",
            "labels": "(humorous, especially British English)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "an attempt or a guess that is not likely to be successful but is worth trying",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "It's a long shot, but it just might work."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Doubt, guessing and certainty", "Difficulty and failure"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used when you are saying that you will get to the point of what you are saying quickly, without including all the details",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "To cut a long story short, we didn’t get home until 3 in the morning!"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Anyway, long story short: we had this argument and I haven't seen him since."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to say hello to somebody you have not seen for a long time",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "not nearly; not at all",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "It's not over yet—not by a long chalk."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to consider a problem or possibility very carefully and without hurrying",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "We need to take a long, hard look at all the options."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to consider what is likely to happen or be important over a long period of time rather than only considering the present situation",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "As pension funds are investing for members’ retirements, they can take the long view."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/lɒŋ/",
                "audio": "lo/long/long__gb_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈlɒŋɡə(r)/",
                "audio": "lo/long/longer__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈlɒŋɡɪst/",
                "audio": "lo/long/longest__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/lɔːŋ/",
                "audio": "lo/long/long__us_8.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈlɔːŋɡər/",
                "audio": "lo/long/longer__us_3.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈlɔːŋɡɪst/",
                "audio": "lo/long/longest__us_3.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "adjective Old English lang, long (adjective), lange, longe (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German lang."
}