ENGLISH
REFERENCE

longtime

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈɫɔŋˌtaɪm// UK //lˈɒŋtaɪm// long·time

adj. having been something for a very long time. You use this to describe a person's role, job, or relationship that has lasted many years.

adj. having held a particular status, role, or relationship for an extended duration. Typically used to describe people in professional or personal capacities.


SIMPLE

She is a longtime friend of the family.

CONTEXTUAL

The company's longtime CEO announced his retirement after thirty years of service.

COMPLEX

A longtime advocate for environmental reform, the senator spent her final term drafting legislation to protect the state's remaining wetlands.

Origin

From long + time.

Usage

Attributive adjective — almost exclusively placed before the noun it modifies.

Pitfall

They have been friends for longtime.They have been longtime friends.Longtime is an adjective that modifies a noun; it cannot be used as a noun phrase after 'for'.

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