at (long) last
at (long) last
Finally. Typically said after a long period. My husband returns from his trip today at last—I've missed him so much! At long last, I got an A on a math test. All that studying really helped.
See also: last
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
at (long) last
after a long wait; finally. At last the hostages were released. Sally earned her diploma at long last after six years in college.
See also: last
at last
finally; after a long wait. The train has come at last. At last, we have gotten something to eat.
See also: last
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
at last
Also, at long last. After a long time, finally, as in At last the speeches ended and dinner was served, or Harry's got his degree at long last. The first term dates from about 1200, the variant from the early 1500s. Also see at length, def. 2.
See also: last
at long last
see under at last.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
at (long) ˈlast
at the end of a period of waiting, trying etc.; finally: At long last she’s got a job in a theatre in Stratford.See also: last
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
at last
After a considerable length of time; finally.
See also: last
at long last
After a lengthy or troublesome wait or delay: At long last the winter was over.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
at long last
Finally, after a long delay. The expression has been traced to the sixteenth century and was usually put as “at the long last,” last then being a noun meaning “duration.” Eric Partridge cited its perhaps most famous use, the opening words of the abdication speech of King Edward VIII in 1935, when he gave up the British throne in order to marry a divorced woman. By then it had long been a cliché.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer