Before long
Example: She will arrive before long, so please wait here.
Definition
"Before long" is an adverbial phrase used to indicate that something will happen soon or in the near future. For example, in the sentence 'She will arrive before long,' it means that her arrival is expected shortly.
Etymology
The phrase "before long" originates from Middle English, combining 'before,' meaning 'earlier than,' with 'long,' referring to a considerable amount of time. Together, they convey the idea of a short time preceding an event. Did you know that 'before long' has been used for centuries to express imminence in everyday speech?
Learn to use this expression actively
"Before long" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (A1) - set 1", containing 104 commonly used expressions.
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