Definition

Noun: 1. The duration of a person's existence from birth to death; the period during which something is functional or exists. * This is the most common meaning, referring to the entire span of time that a person, organism, or object is alive or operational.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • He dedicated his lifetime to the study of marine biology.
  • The warranty covers the product for its expected lifetime.
  • It was a lifetime achievement, the culmination of decades of work.

Advanced Usage

• "A lifetime of [something]": Used to emphasize a very long period spent accumulating experience, knowledge, or possessions.
  • She brought a lifetime of experience to her new role.
• "The chance/opportunity of a lifetime": Refers to an extremely rare and valuable opportunity that is unlikely to occur again.
  • Working on that expedition was the opportunity of a lifetime.
• "Once in a lifetime": Describes an event or experience that is so unique or special it is unlikely to happen again in one's life.
  • Seeing the solar eclipse was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Variants and Related Words

• Lifelong (adj): Lasting or continuing for a lifetime.
  • They were lifelong friends.
• Lifetime is often written with a hyphen (life-time) but is increasingly common as a single, closed compound (lifetime).

Synonyms

• Life: The period from birth to death.
• Life span: The average or maximum length of time an organism, material, or object can be expected to survive or function.
• Duration: The time during which something continues.

Related Phrases

• Within one's lifetime: During the period one is alive.
  • He hopes to see a cure developed within his lifetime.

Noun

1. the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death)
   • the battery had a short life
   • he lived a long and happy life