Meanings
prepositional phrase
- soon
They left before long.
2 more examples
I knew they'd arrive before long.
It is to be hoped that some corresponding smartening up of these other schedules may be expected before long.
1961 October, “The winter timetables of British Railways: Southern Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 593
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
APA
before long. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/before%20long
MLA
“before long.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/before%20long. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “before long,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/before%20long.
Source: before long on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.