By a long way Definition 1 of 2Pro Tip 1/3Strong Comparison Used when comparing and emphasizing the superiority of one thing over others. His record was better by a long way than any of his competitors. Pro Tip 2/3Positive Emphasis Expresses a positive extreme when praising something. Her performance was the best by a long way. Pro Tip 3/3Negative Emphasis Similarly used to stress a negative extreme in comparison. Their team lost by a long way, not even close to their rivals.