light-year

noun

ˈlīt-ˌyir How to pronounce light-year (audio)
Definition of light-yearnext
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of light-year The researchers studied the planets’ orbits using telescopes on Earth to determine their density, from 1,110 light-years away. — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026 Rubin released its first images last year, including colorful shots of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas located thousands of light-years from Earth. — ABC News, 30 June 2026 Additionally, the transit method employed by TESS usually has a search radius of around 150 light-years. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 July 2026 About 11,000 light-years away from Earth, the supernova Cassiopeia A’s X-rays (seen above) are rendered in blue and purple, while infrared wavelengths are shown in red and white using data from JWST. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for light-year
Recent Examples of Synonyms for light-year
  1. world
  2. galaxy
Noun
  • The Castro family has been linked, through GAESA chiefly, to a lucrative world of hotels, banks, retail monopolies, foreign-currency businesses, foreign private compounds and offshore accounts.
    — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Hiltz finished seventh in the 1,500 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympics and fifth in the same race at the 2025 world championships in Tokyo.
    — Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of world
Noun
  • With this capability, Rubin can reveal details of the cosmos across an enormous range of scales, from distant galaxies, to individual stars, to the wispy clouds of dust spread throughout our galaxy.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • This nebula, found in our own Milky Way galaxy, is a vast region of gas and dust surrounding a dense concentration of massive stars.
    — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of galaxy

Browse Nearby Words

lightweights
light-year
light-years
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Cite this Entry

“Light-year.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/light-year. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on light-year

Nglish: Translation of light-year for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about light-year

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