in the long run

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
in the long run
    adv 1: after a very lengthy period of time; "she will succeed in
           the long run" [syn: {in the long run}, {in the end}]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Run \Run\, n.
   1. The act of running; as, a long run; a good run; a quick
      run; to go on the run.
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   2. A small stream; a brook; a creek.
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   3. That which runs or flows in the course of a certain
      operation, or during a certain time; as, a run of must in
      wine making; the first run of sap in a maple orchard.
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   4. A course; a series; that which continues in a certain
      course or series; as, a run of good or bad luck.
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            They who made their arrangements in the first run of
            misadventure . . . put a seal on their calamities.
                                                  --Burke.
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   5. State of being current; currency; popularity.
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            It is impossible for detached papers to have a
            general run, or long continuance, if not diversified
            with humor.                           --Addison.
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   6. Continued repetition on the stage; -- said of a play; as,
      to have a run of a hundred successive nights.
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            A canting, mawkish play . . . had an immense run.
                                                  --Macaulay.
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   7. A continuing urgent demand; especially, a pressure on a
      bank or treasury for payment of its notes.
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   8. A range or extent of ground for feeding stock; as, a sheep
      run. --Howitt.
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   9. (Naut.)
      (a) The aftermost part of a vessel's hull where it narrows
          toward the stern, under the quarter.
      (b) The distance sailed by a ship; as, a good run; a run
          of fifty miles.
      (c) A voyage; as, a run to China.
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   10. A pleasure excursion; a trip. [Colloq.]
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             I think of giving her a run in London. --Dickens.
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   11. (Mining) The horizontal distance to which a drift may be
       carried, either by license of the proprietor of a mine or
       by the nature of the formation; also, the direction which
       a vein of ore or other substance takes.
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   12. (Mus.) A roulade, or series of running tones.
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   13. (Mil.) The greatest degree of swiftness in marching. It
       is executed upon the same principles as the double-quick,
       but with greater speed.
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   14. The act of migrating, or ascending a river to spawn; --
       said of fish; also, an assemblage or school of fishes
       which migrate, or ascend a river for the purpose of
       spawning.
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   15. (Sport) In baseball, a complete circuit of the bases made
       by a player, which enables him to score one point; also,
       the point thus scored; in cricket, a passing from one
       wicket to the other, by which one point is scored; as, a
       player made three runs; the side went out with two
       hundred runs; the Yankees scored three runs in the
       seventh inning.
       [1913 Webster +PJC]

             The "runs" are made from wicket to wicket, the
             batsmen interchanging ends at each run. --R. A.
                                                  Proctor.
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   16. A pair or set of millstones.
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   17. (Piquet, Cribbage, etc.) A number of cards of the same
       suit in sequence; as, a run of four in hearts.
       [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   18. (Golf)
       (a) The movement communicated to a golf ball by running.
       (b) The distance a ball travels after touching the ground
           from a stroke.
           [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   {At the long run}, now, commonly, {In the long run}, in or
      during the whole process or course of things taken
      together; in the final result; in the end; finally.
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            [Man] starts the inferior of the brute animals, but
            he surpasses them in the long run.    --J. H.
                                                  Newman.
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   {Home run}.
       (a) A running or returning toward home, or to the point
           from which the start was made. Cf. {Home stretch}.
       (b) (Baseball) See under {Home}.

   {The run}, or {The common run}, or {The run of the mill}
      etc., ordinary persons; the generality or average of
      people or things; also, that which ordinarily occurs;
      ordinary current, course, or kind.
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            I saw nothing else that is superior to the common
            run of parks.                         --Walpole.
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            Burns never dreamed of looking down on others as
            beneath him, merely because he was conscious of his
            own vast superiority to the common run of men.
                                                  --Prof.
                                                  Wilson.
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            His whole appearance was something out of the common
            run.                                  --W. Irving.
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   {To let go by the run} (Naut.), to loosen and let run freely,
      as lines; to let fall without restraint, as a sail.
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from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Long \Long\, a. [Compar. {Longer}; superl. {Longest}.] [AS.
   long, lang; akin to OS, OFries., D., & G. lang, Icel. langr,
   Sw. l[*a]ng, Dan. lang, Goth. laggs, L. longus. [root]125.
   Cf. {Length}, {Ling} a fish, {Linger}, {Lunge}, {Purloin}.]
   1. Drawn out in a line, or in the direction of length;
      protracted; extended; as, a long line; -- opposed to
      short, and distinguished from broad or wide.
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   2. Drawn out or extended in time; continued through a
      considerable tine, or to a great length; as, a long series
      of events; a long debate; a long drama; a long history; a
      long book.
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   3. Slow in passing; causing weariness by length or duration;
      lingering; as, long hours of watching.
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   4. Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in
      time; far away.
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            The we may us reserve both fresh and strong
            Against the tournament, which is not long.
                                                  --Spenser.
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   5. Having a length of the specified measure; of a specified
      length; as, a span long; a yard long; a mile long, that
      is, extended to the measure of a mile, etc.
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   6. Far-reaching; extensive. " Long views." --Burke.
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   7. (Phonetics) Prolonged, or relatively more prolonged, in
      utterance; -- said of vowels and syllables. See {Short},
      a., 13, and Guide to Pronunciation, [sect][sect] 22, 30.
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   8. (Finance & Com.) Having a supply of stocks or goods;
      prepared for, or depending for a profit upon, advance in
      prices; as, long of cotton. Hence, the phrases: to be, or
      go, long of the market, to be on the long side of the
      market, to hold products or securities for a rise in
      price, esp. when bought on a margin. Contrasted to
      {short}.
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   Note: Long is used as a prefix in a large number of compound
         adjectives which are mostly of obvious meaning; as,
         long-armed, long-beaked, long-haired, long-horned,
         long-necked, long-sleeved, long-tailed, long- worded,
         etc.
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   {In the long run}, in the whole course of things taken
      together; in the ultimate result; eventually.

   {Long clam} (Zool.), the common clam ({Mya arenaria}) of the
      Northern United States and Canada; -- called also
      {soft-shell clam} and {long-neck clam}. See {Mya}.

   {Long cloth}, a kind of cotton cloth of superior quality.

   {Long clothes}, clothes worn by a young infant, extending
      below the feet.

   {Long division}. (Math.) See {Division}.

   {Long dozen}, one more than a dozen; thirteen.

   {Long home}, the grave.

   {Long measure}, {Long meter}. See under {Measure}, {Meter}.
      

   {Long Parliament} (Eng. Hist.), the Parliament which
      assembled Nov. 3, 1640, and was dissolved by Cromwell,
      April 20, 1653.

   {Long price}, the full retail price.

   {Long purple} (Bot.), a plant with purple flowers, supposed
      to be the {Orchis mascula}. --Dr. Prior.

   {Long suit}
      (a) (Whist), a suit of which one holds originally more
          than three cards. --R. A. Proctor.
      (b) One's most important resource or source of strength;
          as, as an entertainer, her voice was her long suit.

   {Long tom}.
      (a) A pivot gun of great length and range, on the dock of
          a vessel.
      (b) A long trough for washing auriferous earth. [Western
          U.S.]
      (c) (Zool.) The long-tailed titmouse.

   {Long wall} (Coal Mining), a working in which the whole seam
      is removed and the roof allowed to fall in, as the work
      progresses, except where passages are needed.

   {Of long}, a long time. [Obs.] --Fairfax.

   {To be long of the market}, or {To go long of the market},
   {To be on the long side of the market}, etc. (Stock
      Exchange), to hold stock for a rise in price, or to have a
      contract under which one can demand stock on or before a
      certain day at a stipulated price; -- opposed to {short}
      in such phrases as, to be short of stock, to sell short,
      etc. [Cant] See {Short}.

   {To have a long head}, to have a farseeing or sagacious mind.
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from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
47 Moby Thesaurus words for "in the long run":
      all in all, all things considered, almost entirely, altogether,
      approximately, as a rule, as a whole, as an approximation,
      as things go, as times go, at large, broadly, broadly speaking,
      by and large, chiefly, commonly, effectually, essentially,
      eventually, finally, generally, generally speaking, in due course,
      in due season, in due time, in general, in round numbers,
      in the main, in time, mainly, mostly, normally, on balance,
      on the average, on the whole, ordinarily, overall, predominantly,
      prevailingly, roughly, roughly speaking, routinely,
      speaking generally, substantially, ultimately, usually,
      virtually

    

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