abbreviation
LDR
ell-dee-ARR
LDR (abbreviation) means Long-distance relationship: a romantic partnership between people who live far enough apart that they cannot see each other regularly in person. Example: “We did an LDR for two years while she finished her degree.”
abbreviation
1
informal Long-distance relationship: a romantic partnership between people who live far enough apart that they cannot see each other regularly in person.
"We did an LDR for two years while she finished her degree."
"LDRs work when both people know roughly when it ends."
How to use LDR
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA couple who live far apart and rarely see each other.
When to use it
Informal, mostly online, in dating profiles and relationship forums. Write it out in full in any formal context.
Memory tip
Take the article a rather than an, since the initialism is read as ell-dee-arr: a long-distance relationship, an LDR.
Trace the full origin ↓
Easily confused with
LDR vs long-distance friendship
Common pairings
in an LDR
LDR couple
survive an LDR
LDR advice
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like LDR.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
We did an _____ for two years while she finished her degree.
Etymology
An initialism of "long-distance relationship".
Rhymes for LDR
See all rhymes for LDR →Frequently asked questions
What does LDR stand for?
It stands for long-distance relationship, meaning a couple separated by enough distance that visits require planning and travel rather than an evening out.
How far apart do you have to be for it to count as an LDR?
There is no fixed threshold. The usual test is practical rather than geographical: if seeing each other requires a planned trip rather than a short journey, most people would call it an LDR.
Is LDR used outside dating?
Occasionally people apply it loosely to close friendships kept up across countries, but by default it means a romantic relationship. In technical writing the same letters can mean light-dependent resistor, so context matters.
What is the meaning of LDR?
"LDR" (abbreviation) means long-distance relationship: a romantic partnership between people who live far enough apart that they cannot see each other regularly in person.
