lifetime

noun life·time \ ˈlīf-ˌtīm \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Definition of lifetime

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 12

2 : an amount accumulated or experienced in a lifetime

a lifetime of regrets

See lifetime defined for English-language learners

See lifetime defined for kids

Examples of lifetime in a Sentence

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 of lifetime from the Web

He was given a lifetime achievement award by the International Association of Art Critics in 2008.

— New York Times, "Irving Sandler, Art Historian Who Was Close to Artists, Dies at 92," 2 June 2018
Design awards are distributed, along with acknowledgements for excellence in journalism, creative vision, personal style, and lifetime achievement.

— michaela bechler, Vogue, "What to Do Before or After Your Visit to the Brooklyn Museum," 1 June 2018
Earlier this year, he was honored by SAG-AFTRA with a lifetime achievement award.

— jocelyn noveck, chicagotribune.com, "Morgan Freeman apologizes in wake of harassment accusations," 24 May 2018
Saturday Night Live’s Leslie Jones hosted last year’s show, which featured memorable performances from Bruno Mars, Mary J. Blige, Migos and lifetime achievement honorees New Edition.

— gail mitchell, Billboard, "Jamie Foxx to Emcee the 2018 BET Awards," 22 May 2018
And Sun Wah Bar-B-Que won a lifetime achievement award, but everybody knew that was coming.

— aimee levitt, Chicago Reader, "Archive Dive / Food & Drink Why Fat Rice and Sun Wah deserved their Beard awards," 8 May 2018
Nominate candidates for the young leader, unsung hero and lifetime achievement awards below.

— detroit free press staff, Detroit Free Press, "2018 Shining Light Awards nominations open Thursday, May 10," 7 May 2018
The band received the lifetime achievement award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards last month.

— joey guerra, Houston Chronicle, "Maná drummer Alex González brings his Mala Vida Tequila to Houston," 2 May 2018
Previous Tony winner Chita Rivera and Andrew Lloyd Webber will be given a special award this year for lifetime achievement in the theater.

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Amy Schumer, Harry Potter and Tina Fey's Mean Girls Musical Land Tony Nominations," 1 May 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.

First Known Use of lifetime

13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

lifetime Synonyms

Synonyms

continuance, date, duration, life, life span, run, standing, time;

Related Words

spell, stretch;

span, tenure, term;

hitch, tour, turn;

half-life;

age, longevity;

lifetime

adjective

Definition of lifetime

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

First Known Use of lifetime

1834

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

LIFETIME Defined for English Language Learners

lifetime

noun

Definition of lifetime for English Language Learners

: the time during which a person is alive
: a very long time
: the time during which something lasts or is useful

LIFETIME Defined for Kids

lifetime

noun life·time \ ˈlīf-ˌtīm \

Definition of lifetime for Students

: life 2

Learn More about lifetime

See words that rhyme with lifetime Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for lifetime Spanish Central: Translation of lifetime Nglish: Translation of lifetime for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lifetime for Arabic speakers

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lifetime

Definition of lifetime

Examples of lifetime in a Sentence

Recent Examples of lifetime from the Web

First Known Use of lifetime

lifetime Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

lifetime

Definition of lifetime

First Known Use of lifetime

Phrases Related to LIFETIME

Related Phrases

LIFETIME Defined for English Language Learners

lifetime

Definition of lifetime for English Language Learners

LIFETIME Defined for Kids

lifetime

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