go back a long way

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

1. To have known each other for a long time.

   Synonym: go way back

• Not to be confused with go a long way.

• “go back a long way”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “go back a long way”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “go back a long way”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “go back a long way” (US) / “go back a long way” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.