Phrase guide

before long

prep_phrase · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

prep_phrase

Meaning 1

soon

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • They left before long.
  • I knew they'd arrive before long.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

in the near future

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the doctor will soon be here
  • the book will appear shortly
  • she will arrive presently
  • we should have news before long

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: soon, shortly, presently

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.