in the long run

1. Over a lengthy period of time, in the end. For example, He realized that in the long run, their argument wouldn't seem so awful. This expression, which originated as at the long run in the early 1600s, presumably alludes to a runner who continues on his course to the end. Economist John Maynard Keynes used it in a much-quoted quip about economic planning: “In the long run we are all dead.” The antonym, in the short run, meaning “over a short period of time,” dates only from the 1800s. The novelist George Eliot used both in a letter (October 18, 1879): “Mrs. Healy's marriage is surely what you expected in the long or short run.”

Example Sentences

"This fence does not stop anyone in the long run … It delays the flow, but cannot stop it."

From BBC

Starkey said the $2.1 billion price tag for the tunnel is daunting, but “we’re just hoping this is a better option fiscally” in the long run.

From Los Angeles Times

The only thing that will keep theaters alive in the long run is a moviegoing population that isn’t afraid of a little risk.

From Salon

Price cuts may benefit consumers, but they risk creating an oversupply of Chinese EVs in the long run, Prof Wu added.

From BBC

So Carville, despite his diagnosis of “shambles,” thinks things are looking up in the long run.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• already 
• belatedly 
• eventually 
• someday 
• sooner or later 
• subsequently 
• ultimately