1
: a unit of length in astronomy equal to the distance that light travels in one year in a vacuum or about 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers)
2
: an extremely large measure of comparison (as of distance, time, or quality)
seems like light-years ago
has light-years more talent
two minutes and yet light-years away from the crowded village—
Suzanne Patterson
Suzanne PattersonExamples of light-year in a Sentence
my sister and I are close in age, but personality-wise, there are light-years between us
Recent Examples on the Web
Want to capture a nebula shining thousands of light-years from Earth?
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 22 Nov. 2025
Beta Pictoris is a young star located a little more than 60 light-years from the sun.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 20 Nov. 2025
The star, named StKM 1-1262, is a red dwarf star about 130 light-years from Earth.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 Nov. 2025
The young stars shine out at you from over 400 light-years away.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 16 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for light-year
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Anthony Wood, Space.com, 22 Nov. 2025
Beta Pictoris is a young star located a little more than 60 light-years from the sun.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 20 Nov. 2025
The star, named StKM 1-1262, is a red dwarf star about 130 light-years from Earth.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 Nov. 2025
The young stars shine out at you from over 400 light-years away.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 16 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for light-year
Cite this Entry
“Light-year.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/light-year. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.
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