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duration

length of time
[C/U] Both
pl: durations

This term carries a clinical or technical tone, focusing on the precise measurement of a time span from start to finish. It is frequently used in legal contracts, travel itineraries, and scientific reports to establish a hard boundary of time. While "length" is a more general term for distance or time, "duration" specifically emphasizes the persistence of a state or the continuous flow of an event. It suggests a fixed window of time that must be completed or endured.

Countable when referring to specific measured intervals (e.g., different durations of a movie). Uncountable when referring to the general concept of how long something lasts.

💬Casual Conversation

🎬Tuesday afternoon, Sarah is hiding in the breakroom to avoid a meeting.
Jessica

David wants the screen recording. What was the total duration?

Jessica
Sarah
Sarah

I'm still trimming it down so he doesn't lose his mind.

💡
Jessica is anxious about providing a specific metric to their boss, while Sarah uses the idiom 'lose his mind' to describe David's tendency to overreact to long or inefficient presentations.

Meanings

Nounlength of time

The length of time during which something continues or exists.

"The duration of the flight is approximately six hours."

Related Words

Last Updated: June 8, 2026Report an Error