useful life

noun

: the amount of time during which something is in good enough condition to be used

the useful life of a satellite

Examples of useful life in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adaptive Reuse and Strategic Repositioning: At its core, adaptive reuse extends the useful life of existing buildings, aiming to minimize additional resource and energy use. —Ali Hoss, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025

At the time, the police headquarters was identified as the agency’s highest priority, with staff describing the facility as well beyond its useful life. —Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025

How does the payback compare to the ROI (i.e., useful life of retrofit/payback)? —Thomas Grizzetti, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

Past the useful life span of a wooden-hulled steamer, the vessel might have rotted away on the mud flats near San Francisco if not for a new gold rush in the British Columbian Cassiar district, which spiked shipping demand. —Joel Sams, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025

Rhymes for useful life

• afterlife
• pocketknife
• alewife
• birdlife
• folklife
• housewife
• jackknife
• loosestrife
• midlife
• midwife
• nightlife
• penknife

Legal Definition

useful life

noun

use·​ful life

: an estimated amount of time during which an asset or facility will yield income or be useful see also depreciation sense 1