Definitions

before long

ADVERB

presently

Synonyms

STRONGEST

immediately soon

STRONG

shortly

WEAK

anon before you know it by and by directly down the line down the pike down the road in a minute in a moment in a short time now nowadays pretty soon today without delay

Antonyms

STRONGEST

later never

WEAK

eventually

ADVERB

shortly

Synonyms

STRONGEST

quickly soon

STRONG

presently

WEAK

anon any minute now by and by in a little while proximately

Antonyms

WEAK

later

ADVERB

soon

Synonyms

STRONGEST

directly early instantly promptly quickly rapidly shortly speedily

STRONG

presently

WEAK

anon any minute now betimes by and by coming down the pike ere long expeditiously fast fleetly forthwith hastily in a little while in a minute in a second in a short time in due time in short order in time lickety-split on time posthaste pronto quick short

Antonyms

STRONGEST

late later

WEAK

distant far never

ADVERB

then

Synonyms

STRONGEST

again formerly later next suddenly

WEAK

all at once anon at that instant at that moment at that point at that time on that occasion soon after thereupon when years ago

Antonyms

STRONGEST

earlier

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That’s when all the fun started melting away, and before long, Meghan Trainor’s PR team issued an unforgettably batty press release for her Valentine’s Day-themed EP, where the word “bop” appeared twice in the copy.

From Salon • May 10, 2026

Flight to quality patterns may emerge before long, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Cummins talked Mary Ann into taking the job, and before long, she joined the faculty of a brand-new middle school Cummins co-founded by the name of Crossroads.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

The two cloud businesses now make up about half of sales, and if current trends continue, they could continue to dominate Oracle’s income statement before long.

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

Klava herself was wounded in the leg, and before long, fire began to spread along the wing of their Pe-2 from the damaged engine.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

before long

Example Sentences

Related Words