Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [bih-fawr, -fohr lawng, long]
- /bɪˈfɔr, -ˈfoʊr lɔŋ, lɒŋ/
- /bɪˈfɔː(r) lɒŋ/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [bih-fawr, -fohr lawng, long]
- /bɪˈfɔr, -ˈfoʊr lɔŋ, lɒŋ/
Definitions of before long words
- phrase before long If you say that something will happen or happened before long, you mean that it will happen or happened soon. 3
- noun before long soon 3
- adjective before long having considerable linear extent in space: a long distance; a long handle. 1
- adjective before long having considerable duration in time: a long conversation; a long while. 1
- adjective before long extending, lasting, or totaling a number of specified units: eight miles long; eight hours long. 1
- adjective before long containing many items or units: a long list. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of before long
First appearance:
before 900 One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; (adj.) Middle English longe, Old English lang, long; cognate with Dutch, German lang, Old Norse langr, Gothic langs, Latin longus; (noun) late Middle English, derivative of the adj.; (adv.) Middle English long(e), lange, Old English longe, lange, cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German lango
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Before long
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
before long popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
before long usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for before long
adv before long
- quick — done, proceeding, or occurring with promptness or rapidity, as an action, process, etc.; prompt; immediate: a quick response.
- beforehand — If you do something beforehand, you do it earlier than a particular event.
- soon — within a short period after this or that time, event, etc.: We shall know soon after he calls.
- immediate — occurring or accomplished without delay; instant: an immediate reply.
- previous — coming or occurring before something else; prior: the previous owner.
Antonyms for before long
adv before long
- later — occurring, coming, or being after the usual or proper time: late frosts; a late spring.
- late — occurring, coming, or being after the usual or proper time: late frosts; a late spring.
- never — not ever; at no time: Such an idea never occurred to me.
- distant — far off or apart in space; not near at hand; remote or removed (often followed by from): a distant place; a town three miles distant from here.
- far — at or to a great distance; a long way off; at or to a remote point: We sailed far ahead of the fleet.
See also
Matching words
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