ə lɒŋ weɪ tə ɡoʊ
Travel
neutral
beginner
- Literally:
- a great distance remaining to travel
What does "a long way to go" mean?
much more work or progress is needed before completion
Examples
- We've made some improvements, but we still have a long way to go.
- The country has a long way to go in terms of gender equality.
- He's learning French, but he has a long way to go.
Origin
A natural extension of physical travel into figurative territory.
How to use it
Used to temper optimism or set realistic expectations.
Similar expressions
far from finished
miles to go
Opposites
almost there
nearly done
Related idioms
- hit the road
To leave or depart on a journey
- in the same boat
In the same difficult situation as someone else
- miss the boat
To miss an opportunity
- go the extra mile
to make more effort than is expected or required
- that ship has sailed
The opportunity has passed
- on the right track
making progress in the correct direction
Use it in a practice answer
Try "a long way to go" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.