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
If the light does not illuminate, then the issue could be a wiring issue, module or a sensor nearing the end of its useful life.
—
John Paul, The Providence Journal, 23 Jan. 2026
The politicians or the regulators agreed to shut down a coal plant 15 years before its useful life ended.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 19 Dec. 2025
Burry this week suggested that companies including Meta, Oracle, Microsoft, Google and Amazon are overstating the useful life of their AI chips and understating depreciation.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2025
But despite those costs, the MD-11 has still found a useful life as cargo carriers, long after the production of the planes came to a halt and passengers airlines stopped flying them.
– CNN’s Aaron Cooper contributed to this report.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for useful life
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
John Paul, The Providence Journal, 23 Jan. 2026
The politicians or the regulators agreed to shut down a coal plant 15 years before its useful life ended.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 19 Dec. 2025
Burry this week suggested that companies including Meta, Oracle, Microsoft, Google and Amazon are overstating the useful life of their AI chips and understating depreciation.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2025
But despite those costs, the MD-11 has still found a useful life as cargo carriers, long after the production of the planes came to a halt and passengers airlines stopped flying them.
– CNN’s Aaron Cooper contributed to this report.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for useful life
Cite this Entry
“Useful life.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/useful%20life. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
