as in world
a huge physical or conceptual distance
my sister and I are close in age, but personality-wise, there are light-years between us
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Recent Examples of light-year
Located around 40 light-years from Earth, TRAPPIST-1 d, e, f, and g all orbit their red dwarf star at distances that hypothetically could support liquid water.
—
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
The planet in question, L 98-59 d, sits roughly 35 light-years away.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Mar. 2026
The picture released Wednesday by the European Southern Observatory zeroes in on a region of cold cosmic gases more than 650 light-years across.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Grace’s destination is the star Tau Ceti, roughly 11.9 light-years from Earth.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for light-year
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
The planet in question, L 98-59 d, sits roughly 35 light-years away.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Mar. 2026
The picture released Wednesday by the European Southern Observatory zeroes in on a region of cold cosmic gases more than 650 light-years across.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Grace’s destination is the star Tau Ceti, roughly 11.9 light-years from Earth.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for light-year
Recent Examples of Synonyms for light-year
Noun
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Even when there is little to celebrate in a world marked by barbarity, these events invite us to be together and, briefly, to look, feel, admire, and even disagree within a temporary gathering of images and spaces.—
Raphael Fonseca,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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Skeletor’s best beats stand as intricate, explosive little worlds that build on ideas he’s been toying with his entire career.—
Dylan Green,
Pitchfork,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Families with younger children should consider the Starlit Sleepover Offer, which transforms your room into a luxe campground, complete with a kids’ tent, galaxy projector, cookies and milk, and an in-room movie experience with snacks.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
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Vera Rubin, an astronomer whose observations of galaxy rotation curves in the 1970s provided the first robust evidence for dark matter's existence, embraced her Jewish faith as a guide to understanding her role in the universe.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Light-year.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/light-year. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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