light-year

[lahyt-yeer, -yeer]

noun

1. Astronomy.,  the distance traversed by light in one mean solar year, about 5.88 trillion mi. (9.46 trillion km): used as a unit in measuring stellar distances. lt-yr

2. light-years,

   1. a very great distance, especially in development or progress.

      The new computer is light-years ahead of the old one.

   2. a very long time.

      It's been light-years since I've seen my childhood friends.

light year

noun

1. a unit of distance used in astronomy, equal to the distance travelled by light in one year, i.e. 9.4607 × 10 ¹² kilometres or 0.3066 parsecs

light-year

1. The distance that light travels in a vacuum in one year, equal to about 9.46 trillion km (5.88 trillion mi). Light-years are used in measuring interstellar and intergalactic distances.

2. Compare astronomical unit parsec

light year

1. The distance traveled by light in a year (over five trillion miles); a unit for measuring distances outside the solar system. The star nearest to our sun, Alpha Centauri, is more than four light years away.

Word History and Origins

Origin of light year¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Using the energy from this rotation, M87* powers a particle jet expelled at nearly the speed of light, stretching across an immense 5,000 light-years.

Read more on Science Daily

“I’m several light-years from my apartment,” he proclaims, “and I’m not an astronaut.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

That’s silly for any number of reasons, not least the fact the campaign is political light-years away.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

One was his debut, “Boxcar Sessions,” an incredibly left-of-center release that was still definitely rooted in hip-hop, though it still sounded light-years ahead of its time.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The exact intensity of Tsuchinshan-ATLAS’s brightness is tough to predict; the comet is still light-years away from Earth, after all.

Read more on Los Angeles Times