along

[ uh-lawng, uh-long ]
See synonyms for along on Thesaurus.com
preposition
  1. through, on, beside, over, or parallel to the length or direction of; from one end to the other of: to walk along a highway; to run a border along a shelf.

  2. during; in the course of: Somewhere along the way I lost my hat.

  1. in conformity or accordance with: I plan to revise the article along the lines suggested.

adverb
  1. by the length; lengthwise; parallel to or in a line with the length or direction: He ran along beside me.

  2. with a progressive motion; onward: The police ordered the line to move along.

  1. (of time) some way on: along toward evening.

  2. in company; in agreement (usually followed by with): I'll go along with you. He planned the project along with his associates.

  3. as a companion; with one: She took her brother along.

  4. from one person or place to another: The order was passed along from the general to the captain and from the captain to a private.

  5. at or to an advanced place or state: Work on the new ship is quite far along.

  6. as an accompanying item; on hand: Bring along your umbrella.

  7. along of, Chiefly Southern U.S. and British Dialect.

    • owing to; because of: We weren't invited, along of your rudeness.

    • in company with: You come along of me to the store.

Verb Phrases
  1. get along. get1 (def. 36).

Idioms about along

  1. all along, all the time; throughout: I knew all along that it was a lie.

  2. be along, Informal. to arrive at a place; come: They should be along soon.

Origin of along

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English andlang, equivalent to and- (cognate with Old Saxon, Old Norse and-, Gothic and(a)-, Old High German ant-; akin to Greek antí- and Latin ante-, prefix with the original sense “opposite, facing”) + lang ; see origin at long1.Cf. answer

Words Nearby along

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use along in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for along

along

/ (əˈlɒŋ) /


preposition
  1. over or for the length of, esp in a more or less horizontal plane: along the road

adverb
  1. continuing over the length of some specified thing

  2. in accompaniment; together with some specified person or people: he says he'd like to come along

  1. forward: the horse trotted along at a steady pace

  2. to a more advanced state: he got the work moving along

  3. along with accompanying; together with: consider the advantages along with the disadvantages

Origin of along

1
Old English andlang, from and- against + lang long 1; compare Old Frisian andlinga, Old Saxon antlang

along

See plus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with along

along

In addition to the idioms beginning with along

  • along for the ride
  • along in years
  • alongside of
  • along the lines of
  • along with

also see:

  • all along
  • all along the line
  • be along
  • come along
  • follow along
  • get along

go alongplay alongrun along string along.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.