ENGLISH
REFERENCE

lasts

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈɫæsts// UK //lˈɑːsts// lasts

v. to continue for a specific amount of time. You use this to say how long an event or a feeling stays around before it ends.

v. to continue in time; to endure or remain in existence for a specified duration. The third-person singular present form of 'last'.


SIMPLE

The movie lasts for two hours.

CONTEXTUAL

The battery in this laptop usually lasts for about six hours of continuous work before it needs a charge.

COMPLEX

While the initial excitement of a new project often lasts only a few weeks, the discipline required to see it through to completion must endure for months.

Synonyms
Usage

Intransitive when describing duration; often followed by a time expression or a prepositional phrase starting with 'for'.

Pitfall

The meeting is lasting two hours.The meeting lasts two hours.When describing a general or scheduled duration, use the present simple rather than the present continuous.

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