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
The singer-songwriter debuted with The Lion and the Cobra in 1987 and released 10 studio albums over the course of her lifetime. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 22 Mar. 2024 One of his recent studies found that recent achievement declines among students in the COVID-19 generation could result in them earning 6% percent less in their lifetime than other Americans. USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024 So today, Verge policy editor Adi Robertson joins the show to discuss how AI might supercharge misinformation and lies in an election that’s already as contentious as any in our lifetimes — and what might be done about it. Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024 Crucially, college graduates can earn significantly more during their lifetimes than those who don’t have degrees. Ira Porter, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Mar. 2024 For Eastwood, the elevation of Parker’s life into an example and a myth (something that Parker himself resisted in his lifetime) is the movie’s overarching meta-story. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024 In New England, wild fluctuations in water availability have added to trees’ lifetime stress load. Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 This Marilyn chatbot feels like a new way to use her, much like the men — studio executives, fellow actors, husbands, directors — who abused her in her lifetime. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024 Santos was allowed to attend the president's address because former U.S. representatives retain lifetime membership privileges, even after being expelled. Brian Mann, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024
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

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 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lifetime

noun
life·​time
ˈlīf-ˌtīm

More from Merriam-Webster on lifetime

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