as in durations
the period during which something exists, lasts, or is in progress
I saw no need to pay more for a better-built computer that would just grow obsolete before the end of its life span
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Recent Examples of life spans
Her life spans a century of dedication to and passion for all things creative in a lifetime of benefit to and for all.
—
Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
What are the life spans of data centers?
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 6 Mar. 2026
The concept of Mother Earth or Mother Nature as the center of the universe and source of all life spans Indigenous cultures around the globe.
—Melinda Laituri, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
Steeped in the civil rights movement Norton was born and raised in Washington, and her life spans the arc of the district’s trials and triumphs.
—Matt Brown, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Move your body more Adding just a few minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day can help contribute to longer life spans, particularly for people with sedentary lifestyles.
—Hunter Boyce, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
From Kuwait to a small Italian university town, and then to New York and Arizona, his life spans love and loss, grief and success.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Thirty-year life spans, the long-standing benchmark for major sports venues, became twenty-five or twenty.
—John Seabrook, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
And, as stated above, cancers are usually a disease of the old, further reducing the likelihood of seeing them in a natural population where life spans tend to be relatively short.
—New Atlas, 27 Nov. 2025
Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
What are the life spans of data centers?
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 6 Mar. 2026
The concept of Mother Earth or Mother Nature as the center of the universe and source of all life spans Indigenous cultures around the globe.
—Melinda Laituri, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
Steeped in the civil rights movement Norton was born and raised in Washington, and her life spans the arc of the district’s trials and triumphs.
—Matt Brown, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Move your body more Adding just a few minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day can help contribute to longer life spans, particularly for people with sedentary lifestyles.
—Hunter Boyce, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
From Kuwait to a small Italian university town, and then to New York and Arizona, his life spans love and loss, grief and success.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Thirty-year life spans, the long-standing benchmark for major sports venues, became twenty-five or twenty.
—John Seabrook, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
And, as stated above, cancers are usually a disease of the old, further reducing the likelihood of seeing them in a natural population where life spans tend to be relatively short.
—New Atlas, 27 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for life spans
Noun
-
Meanwhile, the system was tested across charging sessions of varying durations and with different buffer storage sizes.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Mar. 2026
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In the experiment, detailed in PLOS Biology, the team incubated specimens of common lab bacteriophage T7 alongside its foe, Escherichia coli bacteria, for varying durations.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Cracking the pressure code Building a vehicle that can withstand 100 times the atmospheric pressure of the surface is an engineering nightmare.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Mar. 2026
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Working over a month without pay, TSA officers have begun calling out of work or quitting altogether, resulting in longer wait times at some major airports.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Roads will be closed across Elk Grove Sunday as one of the city’s largest runs takes place.—
Camryn Dadey,
Sacbee.com,
25 Mar. 2026
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Over the past two years, Nutt has overseen the company’s evolution from Fathom Events, which handled 150 different events a year, to Fathom Entertainment, which releases around 100 titles a year, some with runs of a week or more.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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No lives that were changed by his gaze that day — including, to my disappointment, mine.—
Taran Khan,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
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Hercules C-130s are frequently used in Colombia to transport troops as part of the military's operations amid a six-decade-long internal conflict that has claimed more than 450,000 lives.—
Luis Jaime Acosta,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These emitters showed stable optical performance, including nanosecond lifetimes and minimal signal fluctuation.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Mar. 2026
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Note that 25% of owners expect to see a return to the all-time low rates of 2020-21 in their lifetimes.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Life spans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/life%20spans. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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