lifetime

1 of 2

noun

life·​time ˈlīf-ˌtīm 

1

a

: the duration of the existence of a living being (such as a person or an animal) or a thing (such as a star or a subatomic particle)

b

: life sense 12

2

: an amount accumulated or experienced in a lifetime

a lifetime of regrets

lifetime

2 of 2

adjective

1

: lifelong

2

: of long duration or continuance

lifetime legislation

3

: measured or achieved over the span of a career

a baseball player's lifetime batting average

Synonyms

Noun

• continuance
• date
• duration
• life
• life span
• run
• standing
• time

Examples of lifetime in a Sentence

Noun

a lifetime spent traveling the world

It would have taken me a lifetime to read all those books.

Childhood seems a lifetime ago now!

a chemical with a lifetime of only a few minutes

the lifetime of a planet

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And to think that polio could be ended in my lifetime was something that was so magical to me. —Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024

In an interview with the Smithsonian Institution in 2017, Mr. Bushnell said his background in arcade games, which sold for about $1,500 to $2,000 per machine, sparked his desire to open a pizza joint with the games, each of which would collect up to $50,000 in coins in their lifetime. —Jesus Jiménez Jackie Molloy, New York Times, 11 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing lifetime

• of a lifetime
• once in a lifetime

Kids Definition

lifetime

noun

life·​time

ˈlīf-ˌtīm

1

: life entry 1 sense 3a

2

: life entry 1 sense 8