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
It’s also considered to be a nearby star at a little over 36 light-years away.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 13 Apr. 2025
The researchers also pinpointed the light to a Milky Way star about 12,000 light-years away from Earth.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 11 Apr. 2025
The astronomers' discovery marks the first such 1a supernova-causing binary system ever identified, and just about 150 light-years away from Earth—which on the scale of the universe, is actually quite close.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2025
What is alleged doesn't come within light-years of a violation of any FCC policy.
—ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 2025
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Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 13 Apr. 2025
The researchers also pinpointed the light to a Milky Way star about 12,000 light-years away from Earth.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 11 Apr. 2025
The astronomers' discovery marks the first such 1a supernova-causing binary system ever identified, and just about 150 light-years away from Earth—which on the scale of the universe, is actually quite close.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2025
What is alleged doesn't come within light-years of a violation of any FCC policy.
—ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 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 21 Apr. 2025.
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