life cycle

noun

1
: the series of stages in form and functional activity through which an organism passes between successive recurrences of a specified primary stage
2
3
: a series of stages through which something (such as an individual, culture, or manufactured product) passes during its lifetime

Examples of life cycle in a Sentence

the life cycle of a shark
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Once the plant stops putting out new foliage in the fall, its productive life cycle is over. Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025 Picking up all leaf litter helps to disrupt their life cycle. Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025 Scambos says this is part of the normal life cycle of icebergs, something that's been happening for millennia, and doesn't appear to be part of climate change. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR, 5 Sep. 2025 This time, the life cycle of the land, and the unlikely collaboration of landowners and conservationists, bird watchers and farmhands, provides a similar, albeit less intimate, corollary. Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for life cycle

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of life cycle was in 1855

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Life cycle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/life%20cycle. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

life cycle

noun
1
: the series of stages of form and activity through which a living thing passes from a beginning stage (as an egg) in one individual to the same stage in its offspring
2

Medical Definition

life cycle

noun
1
: the series of stages in form and functional activity through which an organism passes between successive recurrences of a specified primary stage
2

More from Merriam-Webster on life cycle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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