long distance

¹

noun

1. telephone service between distant places.

long-distance

²

[ lawng-dis-tuhns, long- ]

adjective

1. of, from, or between distant places:

   a long-distance phone call.

2. for, over, or covering long distances:

   a long-distance runner.

adverb

1. by long-distance telephone:

   to call someone long-distance.

long-distance

noun

1. modifier covering relatively long distances

   a long-distance driver

2. modifier (of telephone calls, lines, etc) connecting points a relatively long way apart
3. a long-distance telephone call
4. a long-distance telephone system or its operator

adverb

1. by a long-distance telephone line

   he phoned long-distance

Word History and Origins

Origin of long distance¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Origin of long distance²

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Each athlete is required to run in one of six groups — short sprints, long sprints, short hurdles, long hurdles, short distance, long distance — in races ranging from 100 to 5,000 meters.

From Los Angeles Times

As the gridlock worsened, three major hire bike platforms in China issued a joint statement urging students to use trains or buses for long distance travel and avoid using bikes at night for safety reasons.

From BBC

“We’ve been doing long distance for almost six years now,” she said, laughing.

From Los Angeles Times

At times, the impact on intensive care was so great that some units had to undergo “rapid depressurisation” with dozens of patients transferred out, sometimes over long distances, to other hospitals.

From BBC

The increases probably would be highest in places where pregnant people have to travel long distances to reach another state to access abortion, she added.

From Los Angeles Times