duration

American  

[doo-ray-shuhn, dyoo-] / dʊˈreɪ ʃən, djʊ- /

noun

• durations
  plural

1. 

   the length of time something continues or exists (often used withthe ).

2. continuance in time.

3. (in the philosophy of Bergson) a temporal continuum, intuitively known, within which the élan vital operates.

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duration British  

/ djʊˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the length of time that something lasts or continues

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• durational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• durations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of duration

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin dūrātiōn-, stem of dūrātiō, from Latin dūrāt(us) “lasted” (past participle of dūrāre “to last”; see dure ²) + -iō -ion

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Explanation

Duration is how long something lasts, from beginning to end. A duration might be long, such as the duration of a lecture series, or short, as the duration of a party. The noun duration has come to mean the length of time one thing takes to be completed. The duration of something might be known or not — in past times, the unknown length of time the current war would last was called "the duration. "Musical notes, such as whole notes, half notes, and quarter notes, have different set durations, or lengths of time for which they are held. These varying durations, when put together, create the rhythm of the music.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

duration durations

Over recent meetings, Pill has voted against the majority and in favor of a rate rise, arguing that policymakers couldn’t afford to wait for clarity on the duration and impact of the conflict.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Having followed the paths of these two characters for the duration of the book, the reader is primed for a union that never really comes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

The metric is a measure of the total wind energy, intensity and duration of tropical storms and hurricanes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

You can also mitigate duration risk by using a ladder strategy, buying bonds with staggered maturity dates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

“For the duration of the war,” I say, repeating the Colonel’s phrase.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Prof Andy Jones, in endurance performance at the University of Exeter, said there were three potential physiological explanations as to why women could perform better over long distances or durations.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

"Intolerable heat will be experienced at much larger scales and for longer durations, affecting far more people than previously estimated," the study concluded.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

Today’s hottest stocks have very long durations since they pay small or no dividends and dangle distant profits when they’re expected to dominate AI or space or whatever.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

The device delivers pulse energies of 1.05 nanojoules and pulse durations as short as 147 femtoseconds, all from a photonic chip.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2026

Rhythm occurs in a melody, in the accompaniment, and uses combinations of short and long durations to create patterns and entire compositions.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

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Related Words

• continuation
• extent
• period
• span

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