duration
Americannoun
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the length of time something continues or exists (often used withthe ).
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continuance in time.
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(in the philosophy of Bergson) a temporal continuum, intuitively known, within which the élan vital operates.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing duration
Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address (1865)
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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
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Word Generation Weekly - Series 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Because leased customers are locked into the Apple ecosystem for the duration of their agreement, they could be incentivized to buy AppleCare insurance from the company.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
The duration that the child has spent in Singapore, and the family and living conditions the child would return to in Indonesia, could also be considered, according to Lim.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Most observers expect the ECB to keep its powder dry on Thursday and pause for now whilst it waits to see the outcome and duration of the latest fighting.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
It can shorten the duration and severity of illness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
So I requested that I be assigned kitchen detail for the duration of my stay.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
"In some cases, customers are even seeking options to extend contract durations beyond the initial term, underscoring their emphasis on supply stability."
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
Among the different listening durations tested, the 24 minute session produced the strongest overall reduction in anxiety.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 16, 2026
Those time periods allowed for a complete view of patients’ daily prescriptions in durations of up to 90 days, both six months prior to a medication review and six months afterward.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
