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Meaning & use

length

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/leŋθ/
US/leŋkθ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable or uncountable

    The distance from one end of something to the other, usually its longest side.

    Grammar: Often with of: the length of the table, or measured in meters.

    Patterns

    • the length of something
    • in length
    • a length of something

    The length of the room is eight meters.

    The fish was about forty centimeters in length.

    Measure the length of the board before you cut it.

  2. nouncountable or uncountable

    The amount of time something lasts.

    Grammar: Usually singular, often with of: the length of the film.

    Patterns

    • the length of something
    • for the length of something

    The length of the meeting surprised everyone.

    He stayed for the whole length of the trip.

    The length of a typical lesson is fifty minutes.

  3. nouncountable or uncountable

    The amount of writing or content in a text, speech or video.

    Grammar: Usually singular: the length of the essay.

    Patterns

    • the length of something
    • of a certain length

    The editor set a limit on article length.

    The length of the speech was ten minutes.

    Her essay was twice the required length.

  4. nouncountable

    A single piece or stretch of something long, such as cloth, rope or a swimming pool.

    Grammar: Countable: a length of rope, ten lengths of the pool.

    Patterns

    • a length of something
    • swim a length

    She bought a length of silk for the dress.

    He swam twenty lengths of the pool.

    Cut a short length of cord.

  5. nounplural

    The extent or degree to which someone is willing to go to achieve something.

    Grammar: Usually plural in the idiom go to great lengths: she went to great lengths.

    Patterns

    • go to great lengths to do something
    • at length

    She went to great lengths to find the missing letter.

    He spoke at length about his early career.

    They would go to any length to protect their children.

Word forms

plurallengths

Common combinations

in length
The bridge is two kilometers in length.
at length
She explained her plan at length.
go to great lengths
He went to great lengths to hide the surprise.
the length of time
The length of time you wait depends on the queue.
full length
She wore a full-length coat.

Synonyms and how they differ

distance
Distance is the space between two separate points, whereas length is the extent of one thing.
duration
Duration is a more formal word for how long something lasts, but it never means physical size.
extent
Extent is wider and covers area or degree, not only a line from end to end.
span
Span is the distance across something such as a bridge or hand, and suggests the span between two supports.

Opposites

widthbreadth

Word family

long adjective
extending a great distance or time
lengthen verb
to make or become longer
lengthy adjective
very long and often tiring
lengthwise adverb
along the longest side
elongate verb
to make longer

Commonly confused: length or width? length or strength?

length vs width

Width is the measurement from side to side, while length is the longest dimension from end to end.

length vs strength

Strength is a similar-sounding noun that means physical power.

Practice

The swimmer completed twenty ___ of the pool before breakfast.

Make it your own

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