spread of time

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "spread of time" is not commonly used in written English and may not convey a clear meaning.
It could potentially be used in contexts discussing the distribution or passage of time, but it is not a standard expression. Example: "The spread of time during the event felt both quick and slow, as moments seemed to stretch and compress."

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

Hitherto, quantities other than times were regarded as changing to the extent that they were inconsistently smeared out in a small lozenge or spread of time.

SEP

It was shown that if the delay spread of the original channel is 15.65 ns, then the delay spread of time reversal and OTR is 16.43 and 28.02 ns, respectively (near CM3 channel) [7].

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

Principle Component Analyses of both sets of profiling data produced a chronological spread of time points, which would be expected of a developmental series.

BMC Systems Biology

The directional spread of time points suggests that as cells proceed through development, either on filters or in suspension, their transcriptional state becomes increasingly different from the vegetative condition.

BMC Genomics

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

This image portrays the areas of most time spent by the animal, with the spatial precision of estimates implicit in the spread of time-spent density.

Plosone

Overall there was a large spread of times-to-delivery across almost all groups.

BioMed Research International

This took five months to complete and produced a wide spread of times between screening and survey, thus allowing us to analyse the effect of time since screening on the perceived acceptability and desirability of screening.

BMC Public Health

The asymmetry of peak broadening shows the spread of relaxation times with different time constant and hence the relaxation in the all compositions is of non-Debye type.

Journal of Theoretical and Applied Physics

Given the threat of more rain and the potential spread of disease, time is not an ally.

The New York Times

This spread of residence time can have an important effect on the performance of the reactor.

Catalysis Today

This decentralisation or non-Debye relaxation obeys the Cole-Cole formalism [21], where the depressed semicircle represents typically a phenomenon with a spread of relaxation time.

Journal of Theoretical and Applied Physics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "spread of time" when describing the dispersion or distribution of events or phenomena across a specific duration. It's suitable for scientific or technical contexts where precise measurement or analysis of time-related data is involved.

Common error

Avoid using "spread of time" in informal writing where simpler phrases like "period of time" or "time span" would be more appropriate. This phrase is often too technical for everyday conversation.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "spread of time" functions primarily as a noun phrase, often acting as a subject or object in a sentence. It describes the extent or distribution of something across a duration, as shown in Ludwig examples.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

80%

News & Media

15%

Formal & Business

5%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "spread of time" is an uncommon but acceptable expression, primarily used in scientific and technical contexts to describe the distribution or duration over which events or phenomena occur. Ludwig examples show its application in analyzing data dispersion and understanding temporal relationships. While grammatically sound, it's advisable to use simpler alternatives like "passage of time" in general writing to enhance clarity. As Ludwig AI notes, although the phrase might not be wrong, it is not a standard expression, so the context is very relevant.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

passage of time

This focuses on the continuous flow and progression of time.

length of time

This refers directly to the measured duration.

period of time

A general alternative denoting a specific duration.

extent of time

This emphasizes how much time is involved.

time span

This alternative refers to the duration or extent of time involved, focusing on its overall length.

time interval

This focuses on the period between two points in time.

course of time

This emphasizes the way events unfold over a period.

duration

This refers to the length of time that something lasts.

time frame

This highlights the specific limits within which something occurs.

time scale

This relates to the relative measure of how long something takes.

FAQs

What does "spread of time" mean?

The phrase "spread of time" refers to the distribution or duration over which something occurs. It's often used in scientific contexts to describe how events or data points are distributed across a given time period.

How can I use "spread of time" in a sentence?

You might use "spread of time" to describe the distribution of data points in an experiment, as in, "The directional spread of time points suggests that as cells proceed through development, their transcriptional state becomes increasingly different from the vegetative condition."

Which is more common: "spread of time" or "passage of time"?

"Passage of time" is a more commonly used and generally understood phrase. While "spread of time" can be appropriate in specific technical contexts, "passage of time" is suitable for broader use.

What are some alternatives to "spread of time"?

You can use alternatives like "passage of time", "duration", or "time span" depending on the context.