1
: in a line matching the length or direction of
walking along the road
also
: at a point or points on
a house along the river
2
: in the course of
made stops along the way
3
: in accordance with : in
a new agreement along the lines of the first
2
: from one to another
word was passed along
3
a
: in company : as a companion
brought his wife along
—often used with withwalked to school along with her friends
b
: in association
—used with with
work along with colleagues
4
a
: sometime within a specified or implied extent of time
—usually used with about
along about July 17
b
: at or to an advanced point
plans are far along
5
: in addition : also
—usually used with with
a bill came along with the package
6
: at hand : as a necessary or useful item
brought an extra one along
had his gun along
7
: on hand : there
tell him I'll be along to see him
Synonyms
Examples of along in a Sentence
Preposition
We walked along the beach.
The chairs were lined up along the wall.
The ship sailed along the coast.
We drove to Boston and we stopped along the way for lunch.
Adverb
We walked along beside the road.
I was just walking along, minding my own business.
The police told the people in the crowd to move along.
We looked at the houses as we drove along.
Plans for a new stadium are already pretty far along.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 2 Apr. 2024
Fort Worth’s 21 miles of levees along the river can no longer protect the city adequately from a major flooding event, Frossard said.
—Luke Ranker, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2024
The facility covers 2,500 acres along the Colorado River with over 10 million square feet of factory floor.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
The final installment, City in Ruins, is classic Winslow — electric prose, zooming along well above the speed limit but with a deep understanding of the haunted characters at the center of the action.
—Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
With one franchise closed for now, Saldaña has several others still chugging along.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 1 Apr. 2024
And every place along the eclipse path is clear on some days and cloudy on others.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2024
Most places along the path of totality will see a totality duration between 3.5 and 4 minutes.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
Here's a breakdown of which places along the path of totality are most likely to give eclipse chasers the best odds.
—Eric Henderson, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2024
Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
The Assembly Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to approve the bill and send it along to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
—Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024
Planning for Fort Worth’s Panther Island is moving along.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2024
Investigation ongoing, while contentious Volz told those at Forerunner Church on Sunday that the outside investigation into the allegations against Bickle was moving along.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
It’s seen a gradual, orderly slowdown from the red-hot pace in 2021, when the labor market ascended from pandemic depths, but unemployment remains low and payroll growth is still humming along.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 24 Mar. 2024
The Golden State Warriors player often brings them along while doing interviews.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 23 Mar. 2024
In the Senate, unanimity will be required to move the legislation along quickly, since one senator has the power to slow-walk the path to passage.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2024
Despite the frequent expository scenes, the series moves along at a nice clip.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024
Preposition
The organization grows as participants bring their friends along.
—Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 2 Apr. 2024
Fort Worth’s 21 miles of levees along the river can no longer protect the city adequately from a major flooding event, Frossard said.
—Luke Ranker, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2024
The facility covers 2,500 acres along the Colorado River with over 10 million square feet of factory floor.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
The final installment, City in Ruins, is classic Winslow — electric prose, zooming along well above the speed limit but with a deep understanding of the haunted characters at the center of the action.
—Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
With one franchise closed for now, Saldaña has several others still chugging along.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 1 Apr. 2024
And every place along the eclipse path is clear on some days and cloudy on others.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2024
Most places along the path of totality will see a totality duration between 3.5 and 4 minutes.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
Here's a breakdown of which places along the path of totality are most likely to give eclipse chasers the best odds.
—Eric Henderson, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2024
Adverb
Two California Highway patrolmen stood about 20 feet away, talking to each other as traffic crawled along.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
The Assembly Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to approve the bill and send it along to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
—Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024
Planning for Fort Worth’s Panther Island is moving along.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2024
Investigation ongoing, while contentious Volz told those at Forerunner Church on Sunday that the outside investigation into the allegations against Bickle was moving along.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
It’s seen a gradual, orderly slowdown from the red-hot pace in 2021, when the labor market ascended from pandemic depths, but unemployment remains low and payroll growth is still humming along.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 24 Mar. 2024
The Golden State Warriors player often brings them along while doing interviews.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 23 Mar. 2024
In the Senate, unanimity will be required to move the legislation along quickly, since one senator has the power to slow-walk the path to passage.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2024
Despite the frequent expository scenes, the series moves along at a nice clip.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'along.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Preposition
Middle English, from Old English andlang, from and- against + lang long — more at ante-
First Known Use
Preposition
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adverb
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of along was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing along
Articles Related to along
Dictionary Entries Near along
Cite this Entry
“Along.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/along. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
along
1 of 2 preposition1
: in a line matching the length or direction of
walk along the beach
lined up along the wall
2
: at a point or points on
stopped along the way
3
: in accordance with
a new agreement along the lines of the first
along
2 of 2 adverb1
: onward entry 1, forward
move along
2
: as a companion or associate
brought my best friend along
3
: in addition : also
the bill came along with the package
4
: at or on hand
had a camera along
More from Merriam-Webster on along
Nglish: Translation of along for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of along for Arabic Speakers
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