Join Us On

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Spanish Central

Browse Dictionary Browse Thesaurus

Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android

Word of the Day

Blog: Words at Play

Dictionary

before long

adverb

Definition of BEFORE LONG

: in the near future : soon

See before long defined for kids

ADVERTISEMENT

First Known Use of BEFORE LONG

1585

Related to BEFORE LONG

Synonyms: anon, shortly, by and by, directly, momentarily, presently, soon

Rhymes with BEFORE LONG

all along, billabong, Chittagong, come-along, come along, cradlesong, drinking song, evensong, get along, go along, run along, scuppernong, sing-along, siren song, string along, summerlong, tagalong, Vietcong

Learn More About BEFORE LONG

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for "before long"

Spanish Central: Spanish translation of "before long"

Nglish: Translation of "before long" for Spanish speakers

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: beforenessPrevious Word in the Dictionary: beforehandAll Words Near: before long

ADVERTISEMENT

Seen & Heard

What made you want to look up before long? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

View Seen & Heard Highlights from Around the Site

Test Your Vocabulary!

10 Charming Words for Nasty People

Put-downs with flair

When "Literally" isn't, well, literal

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

Know what this is?

Test your vocab with our fun, fast game

Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears

Join Us

Merriam-Webster
on Facebook

Merriam-Webster
on Twitter

Bookstore: Digital and Print

Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.

See All

Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries

© Merriam-Webster, Incorporated