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
2
: an amount accumulated or experienced in a lifetime
a lifetime of regrets
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
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
Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
One of England's great medieval churches is offering a once-in-a-lifetime vacation offer to history buffs – with a few conditions.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Stephan Rabimov, Forbes, 24 May 2021
They are viewed as the most restrictive among the 15 states with consecutive or lifetime legislative term limits.
—David Eggert, Detroit Free Press, 20 Nov. 2019
See All Example Sentences for lifetime
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Noun
Grisham’s novel tells the story of Rudy Baylor, a fresh-out-of-law-school upstart who stumbles onto the case of a lifetime.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
One of England's great medieval churches is offering a once-in-a-lifetime vacation offer to history buffs – with a few conditions.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Getting an Emmy award is a lifetime dream for many.
—Stephan Rabimov, Forbes, 24 May 2021
They are viewed as the most restrictive among the 15 states with consecutive or lifetime legislative term limits.
—David Eggert, Detroit Free Press, 20 Nov. 2019
See All Example Sentences for lifetime
Cite this Entry
“Lifetime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lifetime. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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