duration

noun

du·​ra·​tion du̇-ˈrā-shən 

also dyu̇-

1

: continuance in time

gradually increase the duration of your workout

2

: the time during which something exists or lasts

were there for the duration of the concert

Synonyms of duration

• time
• lifespan
• lifetime
• life
• continuance
• date

Examples of duration in a Sentence

You should gradually increase the duration of your workout.

for the whole duration of the speech the bored audience fidgeted

Recent Examples on the Web

Sleeping roughly the same hours every day protects mental health and physical functioning, with research suggesting that sleep consistency—going to bed and waking up around the same time every day—may be even more important than sleep duration for overall well-being. —Emma Loewe, Outside, 1 Jan. 2026

China has just brought the world’s largest vanadium flow battery energy project online, marking a massive milestone in long-duration grid-scale energy storage. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025

For those who are seeking treatment, it is largely guided by a person's underlying health, symptom severity, duration of illness, and age, as well as weighing risks versus benefit. —Dr. Jade Cobern, ABC News, 31 Dec. 2025

Equally crucial to the duration of your sleep is consistency. —Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 31 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see durance

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing duration

• for the duration

Rhymes for duration

• ablation
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation
• collation

Kids Definition

duration

noun

du·​ra·​tion d(y)u̇-ˈrā-shən 

: the time during which something exists or lasts