go a long way

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go a long way (third-person singular simple present goes a long way, present participle going a long way, simple past went a long way, past participle gone a long way)

1. (idiomatic) To be adequate or helpful for a significant amount of time.

   This new law will go a long way in addressing this issue.

   Thank you for your generous donation; I'm sure it will go a long way.

   • 1908 October, Kenneth Grahame, chapter V, in The Wind in the Willows, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC:

     […] and soon every field-mouse was sipping and coughing and choking (for a little mulled ale goes a long way) and wiping his eyes and laughing and forgetting he had ever been cold in all his life.

   • 1915, Virginia Woolf, chapter XIV, in The Voyage Out, London: The Hogarth Press, published 1949, →OCLC:

     “She’s every right to expect a handsome present from me, of course,” she thought, looking vaguely at the leopard on its hind legs, “and I’ve no doubt she does! Money goes a long way with every one. The young are very selfish. […] ”

   • 1965, “Try a Little Love”, performed by Sam Cooke:

     Always, always hold her hand / You'll find out, oh just a little love / Goes a long way

   • 2022 September 27, Michael D. Shear, Miriam Jordan, “Biden Is Hoping Small Changes Go a Long Way on Immigration”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     Biden Is Hoping Small Changes Go a Long Way on Immigration [title]

2. (idiomatic) To achieve considerable success.

   All parents hope that their children will go a long way in their lives.

   The moment I met him I knew he would go a long way.

• go all the way
• go long
• go places
• go the distance