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

Born in the Dutch city of Leiden in 1606, Rembrandt developed a reputation as one of the Netherlands’ most famous artists during his lifetime. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025

That's what Road Rules did for me in Morocco and Spain half a lifetime ago. —Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2025

Adjective

Getting an Emmy award is a lifetime dream for many. —Stephan Rabimov, Forbes, 24 May 2021

In addition to keynote speeches, panel discussions, workshops and networking, the 2019 Music Biz conference will again take time to recognize both recent and lifetime achievements. —Gary Graff, Billboard, 29 Apr. 2019

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

Rhymes for lifetime

• aforetime
• allozyme
• anytime
• christmastime
• cybercrime
• dinnertime
• guggenheim
• isozyme
• lysozyme
• maritime
• mesenchyme
• overtime

Kids Definition

lifetime

noun

life·​time

ˈlīf-ˌtīm

1

: life entry 1 sense 3a

2

: life entry 1 sense 8