lifer

noun

lif·​er ˈlī-fər 

1

: a person sentenced to imprisonment for life

2

: a person who makes a career of one of the armed forces

3

: a person who has made a lifelong commitment (as to a way of life)

Examples of lifer in a Sentence

He was a lifer at the factory.

Recent Examples on the Web

Erosion along the 3-mile shoreline topped 60% in August and narrowed the beach to a point even Tybee lifers professed to have never seen. — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Well put — that pretty much explains why these lifers crave the road. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026

Campbell and Tench were lifers in Petty’s band until the frontman’s 2017 death. — Chris Willman, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026

His father was a football lifer, a former high school offensive lineman. — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lifer

• cipher
• cypher
• fifer
• heifer
• pfeiffer
• decipher