duration

American  

[doo-rey-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

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

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

“Recent carrier deployments have repeatedly stretched beyond their original anticipated duration, suggesting that extended deployments may be becoming a feature rather than an exception of the Navy’s force-generation model,” Blumenthal wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

That’s according to Daniel von Ahlen, head of macro strategy at TS Lombard, who in a note published Wednesday, says investors should buy 10-year British gilts ahead of equivalent duration U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

The Michigan primary was a three-way race for most of its duration.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026

"From Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday hopefully it will feel like your normal Saturday night, and from then on it's going to be like Paddy's day on steroids for the duration."

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

I would grow to dislike Dieter, and he would grow to hate me, but we were, for the duration, bunk- mates—I, unfortunately, in the bed above him.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

"The first priority would be testing a wider range of frequencies and exposure durations," added Schmaltz.

From Science Daily ● May 3, 2026

CoreCivic doesn’t lobby for or against policies or legislation affecting incarceration durations and offers the greatest value to the government for detaining immigrants, said Senior Director of Public Affairs Ryan Gustin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

Designed to bridge gaps in coverage, the plans are typically offered in durations from one to six or even 12 months.

From Barron's ● Jan. 15, 2026

Yet he reiterated his “pushback” to “long, exclusive windows” of theatrical releases, in favor of much shorter venue-exclusive durations that go just long enough to qualify their titles for the Oscars.

From Slate ● Dec. 5, 2025

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

Related Words

• continuation
• extent
• period
• span