Before long
Example: She will arrive before long, so please wait here.
Definition
"Before long" is an adverbial phrase meaning soon or in a short amount of time. It indicates that something is expected to happen shortly, as in the example phrase: 'She will arrive before long, so please wait here.'
Etymology
The phrase "before long" originates from the combination of 'before,' meaning earlier or prior to, and 'long,' referring to a considerable amount of time. Together, they form an expression used to indicate that something will happen soon. Did you know that this phrase has been used in English since the late Middle Ages to convey the idea of imminent events?
Learn to use this expression actively
"Before long" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (B1) - set 1", containing 123 commonly used expressions.
Would you like to not only understand these expressions, but also remember them and use them actively? Create a free account and select English as the language you want to learn.
Create a free account
