Definition

Adverb: For a very long period extending from the past up to the present; from a distant point in the past.

Usage

This phrase is used to indicate that a situation, action, or state has been true or ongoing for a very long duration, with its origins in the distant past. It emphasizes the lengthy and continuous nature of the timeframe.

Examples

• They have lived in that house since a long time ago.
• I have known about that secret since a long time ago.
• This tradition has been practiced here since a long time ago.

Advanced Usage

• "From way back": An informal synonym, often used in casual conversation.
  • We've been friends from way back.
• The phrase is typically used with perfect tenses (e.g., present perfect, past perfect) to connect the past action to the present or a past reference point.

Variants and Related Words

• For ages (idiom): For a very long time.
  • I haven't seen you for ages!
• Since time immemorial (phrase): For longer than anyone can remember; from a very ancient time.
  • People have lived in this valley since time immemorial.

Synonyms

• For a long time
• For many years
• From long ago
• For ages

Related Phrases

• From/since the beginning: From the initial point in time.
  • He has supported the project from the beginning.
• All along: For the entire period of time, often implying something was true but not known.
  • She had known the truth all along.

Adverb

1. since long ago
   • she knows him from way back