duration

Everyday

1. The length of time something lasts, from its start to its end. tree →
2. for the duration: for the whole time something lasts. tree →

In the lessons

In maths time problems, the duration is the time between start and finish: a film from 3:00 to 4:30 has a duration of 1 hour 30 minutes. In music, a note's duration is how long it is held. Phrases: for the duration, short duration, the duration of the journey.

Examples

• The film has a duration of 90 minutes. tree →
• Stay in your seats for the duration of the flight. tree →
• Find the duration of a lesson that starts at 9:15 and ends at 10:00. tree →
• The storm was of short duration. tree →
• In music, a minim has a longer duration than a crotchet. tree →
• The duration of the journey was three hours. tree →
• The triumph of Achilles was not of long duration. tree →

Note

Formal word for "how long". For maths: duration = end time minus start time. Remember 60 minutes in an hour, not 100, when subtracting times.