Meaning & use
longed
Last updated
“longed” is a form of “long”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
felt a strong, persistent desire for someone or something
Grammar: Usually followed by 'for' + noun or 'to' + verb: longed for peace, longed to see her.
Patterns
- longed for someone/something
- longed to do something
After months away, he longed for his family's cooking.
She longed to tell him the truth, but she was afraid.
The children longed for the summer holidays to begin.
verbintransitiveliterary
wished or yearned for something that is difficult or impossible to have
Grammar: Often used in literature or emotional writing; can be followed by 'for' or 'after'.
Patterns
- longed for something
- longed after something
He longed for a chance to start over.
They longed after a life of freedom and adventure.
Word forms
| base form | long |
|---|---|
| third person singular | longs |
| present participle | longing |
| past tense | longed |
| past participle | longed |
Common combinations
- longed for
- She longed for a quiet moment alone.
- longed to
- He longed to travel the world.
- longed after
- The poet longed after an ideal love.
- longed for peace
- After the war, everyone longed for peace.
- longed for home
- The soldier longed for home during the long nights.
Synonyms and how they differ
- yearned
- Stronger and more emotional than 'longed'; often suggests a deep, aching desire.
- craved
- Often used for physical desires like food or drink; 'longed' is more emotional or spiritual.
- desired
- More formal and general; 'longed' implies a persistent, heartfelt wish.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: longed or long?
longed vs long
As a verb, 'long' means to desire strongly; as an adjective, it means measuring a great distance. 'Longed' is only the past tense of the verb.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence using 'longed'.
Choose one answer.
The verb 'long' is followed by 'for' when a noun follows. Option 1 misses 'for'; option 2 uses 'to' before a noun, which is wrong; option 3 uses 'at', which does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “longed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.