long time no see: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  Globalinformalcolloquial
  • A casual greeting used on meeting someone after a lengthy interval since the previous encounter.
  • An expression acknowledging that a substantial amount of time has passed since two people were last in contact.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Long time no see, Jessica! It’s been ages since we last met at the conference.

    I haven’t seen you for a long time, Jessica! It has been many years since our last meeting at the conference.

  • When Mark bumped into his old college friend, he smiled and said, 'Long time no see!'

    Upon unexpectedly meeting his old college friend, Mark greeted him warmly with 'Long time no see!'

  • Long time no see, Tom. How have you been since moving to Seattle?

    I haven’t seen you for a long time, Tom. How have you been since your relocation to Seattle?

• 2.

  Globalinformalhumorousironic
  • Used humorously or ironically to remark on infrequent contact in non-physical contexts, such as correspondence or attention, rather than literal sight.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Long time no see in the inbox—did you get busy with work?

    It has been a long time since I last received emails from you—have you been occupied with work?

  • 'Long time no see' she joked, referring to her friend’s lack of replies to her messages.

    She humorously remarked 'Long time no see' about her friend’s prolonged silence in correspondence.

  • I sent a message last week, but long time no see any response from him yet.

    I sent a message last week, but so far have not received any reply from him.