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

These are the relentless lifers who have it in their blood—the ones who can’t NOT do it. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025

Thank you for being a lifer, for being a shirtless, sunburned troubadour, for your friendship, your songs and all the laughs. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2025

Lewis was a Cowboys lifer – having been selected by the team in the sixth round of the 1968 draft out of Mississippi State and staying with the team through the 1981 season. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2025

Even the announcement of company lifer Fiddelke’s ascension to the top job last month was greeted with tumbling stock shares because some investors wanted an outsider. —Dan Gingiss, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lifer

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