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furlong

American

[fur-lawng, -long] / ˈfɜr lɔŋ, -lɒŋ /

noun

a unit of distance, equal to 220 yards (201 meters) or ⅛ mile (0.2 kilometer). fur.

furlong British

/ ˈfɜːˌlɒŋ /

noun

a unit of length equal to 220 yards (201.168 metres)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of furlong

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English furlang “length of a furrow”; furrow, long ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The winner broke sharply from the stalls and Moore was in control from thereon, sending his mount clear in the final furlong to beat runner-up Wise Approach by two and a quarter lengths.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2025

“He is the kind of horse that for the first furlong he needs to adjust himself,” Rispoli said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2025

The bay colt and jockey Victor Espinoza surged to the lead with a furlong to go and thundered across the finish line a length ahead in the 2015 Kentucky Derby.

From Seattle Times • May 1, 2024

It looked as though 66-1 outsider King Of Steel had pushed into an unassailable lead coming into the final furlong but Auguste Rodin caught him up and ultimately won convincingly.

From Washington Times • Jun. 3, 2023

But they had not gone more than a furlong when the storm returned with fresh fury.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023