Definition

1. Noun:
   • A prolonged period of time: A long and often difficult duration during which processes, efforts, or effects unfold or are sustained.
   • A journey over a great distance: A trip or transportation of goods that covers a significant geographical span.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Time):
  • Building a successful business is a long haul, requiring years of dedication.
  • Recovery from the economic crisis will be a long haul.
• Noun (Distance):
  • Driving from coast to coast is a real long haul.
  • The truck driver specializes in long hauls across the country.

Advanced Usage

• "over the long haul": Over an extended period into the future; in the long term.
  • This investment may not pay off immediately, but it will be profitable over the long haul.
• "for the long haul": Committed for the entire duration of a long and challenging endeavor.
  • We need partners who are in this project for the long haul.

Variants and Related Words

• Long-haul (adjective): Used to describe things related to a long duration or distance.
  • She is a long-haul flight attendant. (This is a compound adjective; the target phrase "long haul" is used as a modifier here.)
  • The company faces long-haul challenges.

Synonyms

• Marathon: A long and arduous task or activity.
• Long term: Relating to or extending over a long period.
• Long-distance: Covering a great distance.

Related Phrases

• In it for the long haul: Fully committed to seeing a long-term process through to the end.
  • Starting a family means you're in it for the long haul.

Notes on Meaning

The two primary meanings are distinct but connected by the concept of extended effort or span. The temporal meaning often implies endurance through difficulty, while the spatial meaning emphasizes physical distance. The phrase is commonly used in business, economics, transportation, and personal endeavors.

Noun

1. a period of time sufficient for factors to work themselves out
   • in the long run we will win
   • in the long run we will all be dead
   • he performed well over the long haul
2. a journey over a long distance
   • it's a long haul from New York to Los Angeles