as in worlds
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-years
When the black hole feeds on gas, the object unleashes particles in the form of wind or jets that move at nearly the speed of light, traveling up to thousands of light-years into space.
—
Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 16 June 2026
This matter is blasted out at speeds approaching the speed of light as powerful jets that stretch out for thousands of light-years.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 June 2026
Just as astronomers use telescopes to examine celestial objects light-years away, novelists can invoke imagined civilizations to reveal truths closer to home, in part by forcing their characters into contact with alien environments and worldviews.
—Alexandra Oliva, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
Vega is 26 light-years away from Earth, with one light-year equaling nearly six trillion miles.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
The star system in question, HD 81809, lies in the constellation Hydra and is roughly 90 to 101 light-years from Earth.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026
Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 16 June 2026
This matter is blasted out at speeds approaching the speed of light as powerful jets that stretch out for thousands of light-years.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 June 2026
Just as astronomers use telescopes to examine celestial objects light-years away, novelists can invoke imagined civilizations to reveal truths closer to home, in part by forcing their characters into contact with alien environments and worldviews.
—Alexandra Oliva, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
Vega is 26 light-years away from Earth, with one light-year equaling nearly six trillion miles.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
The star system in question, HD 81809, lies in the constellation Hydra and is roughly 90 to 101 light-years from Earth.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for light-years
Noun
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The Sacramento region has been filled with changes in the business and restaurant worlds, with a number of openings and closings this spring.—
Emma Hall,
Sacbee.com,
11 June 2026
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The gulf between their two worlds is wide, and Jude straddles it with wide-ranging intellect and his characteristic impish wit, while also telling a surprisingly heartfelt story about the lengths to which a mother will go for love.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Scientists can draw on it to identify and study 100,000 exoplanets, hundreds of millions of galaxies, billions of stars, and rare objects and phenomena — including some that astronomers have never witnessed before.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2026
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Quasars are the extremely active supermassive black holes at the heart of some galaxies, furiously feeding on gas that is being shoveled towards their maw, and growing as a result of this voracious feeding.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Light-years.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/light-years. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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