longtime
adj. · adv.-
1 lasting for many years (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediatedescribing someone or something that has been in a certain state for a long time.
having existed or persisted for a significant period. Almost exclusively used as an attributive adjective before the noun.
ExampleThe two women were longtime friends who met in primary school.
ExampleThe senator's longtime advisor resigned yesterday, ending a professional partnership that had spanned three decades of political campaigning.
UsageUsually placed immediately before the noun it modifies.
PitfallThey have been longtime together.They have been together for a long time.Use 'longtime' as an adjective before a noun (longtime friends), not as an adverbial phrase at the end of a sentence.
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2 for a long duration (adv.) C2 Proficiency Informal Dialectfor a long time.
for a long period of time. This adverbial use is less common than the adjective and often appears in specific dialects or informal contexts.
ExampleI haven't seen him longtime.
ExampleThe locals claim that the old mill has stood empty longtime, though records suggest it was operational until the late nineties.
UsageOften functions as a shortened form of 'for a long time' in casual speech.
From long + time.