lifetime

1 of 2

noun

life·​time ˈlīf-ˌtīm How to pronounce lifetime (audio)
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)
2
: an amount accumulated or experienced in a lifetime
a lifetime of regrets

lifetime

2 of 2

adjective

1
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
Noun
Diller delighted tourists by renting out pink rooms walled with a lifetime of celebrity photos. Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 17 Nov. 2023 Your family will make memories that last a lifetime! Nicole Harris, Parents, 16 Nov. 2023 Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese has recently found himself in the role of a lifetime: starring in TikToks posted by his 24-year-old daughter, Francesca. Ellise Shafer, Variety, 16 Nov. 2023 Two lifetime achievement awards were also presented. Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023 Electric cars are now cheaper than gas or diesel over their lifetime and will soon be just as cheap to buy upfront. WIRED, 15 Nov. 2023 Or perhaps the film is trying to give a sense of how all this wonder and wisdom could become normalized if your experience of the landscape developed over a lifetime rather than 90 minutes. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Nov. 2023 Scientists still don't know the lifetime of a plutonium pit. Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2023 However, the interest isn't actually paid out until the bondholder cashes out the bond, or at the end of its 30-year lifetime. Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2023
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 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 More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lifetime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lifetime was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near lifetime

Cite this Entry

“Lifetime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lifetime. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

lifetime

noun
life·​time
ˈlīf-ˌtīm

More from Merriam-Webster on lifetime

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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