lifetime

noun

life·time | \ˈlīf-ˌtīm

Definition of lifetime

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

adjective

Definition of lifetime (Entry 2 of 2)

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

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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

The photos triggered her memories of her lifetime of abuse. — Ryan W. Miller, USA TODAY, "Daughter kills dad after finding his child porn collection. She buried her secret for 12 years," 13 July 2018 General Franco led the Nationalists to victory over the Republicans, then taking his place as the head of government for the rest of his lifetime until his death in 1975. — Joseph Zeballos-roig, The New Republic, "How to Dig Up a Dictator," 11 July 2018 Nicholas Barr of the London School of Economics points out that its role is more to allow people to smooth consumption over their lifetimes, in effect shifting money from their younger selves to their older selves. — The Economist, "The welfare state needs updating," 12 July 2018 No one would have revealed his various affairs with women during his lifetime. — Lauren Ritchie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Lake County owes Virgil Hawkins recognition and a thank you for role in civil rights struggle," 12 July 2018 In his lifetime, Wojnarowicz became a star, though an unconventional one, unsmooth, unpredictable, unstylish even, with his clotted paint, uncouth symbols, and jabbing ideas and words. — New York Times, "He Spoke Out During the AIDS Crisis. See Why His Art Still Matters.," 12 July 2018 More than four in 10 — 44 percent — said Obama is the best or second-best president in their lifetimes. — Eugene Scott, Washington Post, "Obama tops survey of ‘best presidents’; Trump runs fourth," 12 July 2018 Pew asked respondents to name the president who had done the best job in their lifetimes and combined their first and second responses. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "Americans were asked to name the best president of their lifetime, and Obama won," 11 July 2018 Which president in your lifetime, asks a new Pew survey, has done the best job? — Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Poll: Barack Obama Was the Greatest President of Our Lifetime," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lifetime.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.