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
Synonyms of lifetime
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
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
21 June 2026
Polygon processed roughly 54% of all USDC transfers globally in April, according to Polygon Labs, on a network that has moved trillions of dollars over its lifetime.
—
Boaz Sobrado,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
In addition, the paper said childhood exposure explained nearly all of the labor force participation dynamics and that men’s expectations for their own wages or employment were based on lifetime experiences—and not macroeconomic conditions like national unemployment or inflation.
—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
21 June 2026
Polygon processed roughly 54% of all USDC transfers globally in April, according to Polygon Labs, on a network that has moved trillions of dollars over its lifetime.
—
Boaz Sobrado,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
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 28 Jun. 2026.
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