From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlong-timeˈlong-time, longtime /ˈlɒŋtaɪm $ ˈlɒːŋ-/ adjective [only before noun] LONG TIMEhaving existed or continued to be a particular thing for a long time a long-time supporter of civil rightslong-time friend/lover etc
Examples from the Corpus
long-time• Trading in works of art needs a deep purse and long-time backing.• The general tendency among long-time employees, said the study, is not to think of leaving.• Encourage long-time employees to take early-retirement.• My husband and I are biologists and long-time farmers in your area.• Windsor played the long-time head of a boys' secondary school swallowed up by a grammar school to form a comprehensive.long-time friend/lover etc• Roy Barraclough, a long-time friend and colleague, joked with Mr Dawson less than 24 hours before his death.• Whatever transpired between the two long-time friends must be really serious. 