Definition

Noun: 1. A person sentenced to or serving a term of life imprisonment: A prisoner who has been given a sentence of imprisonment for the duration of their natural life, typically for a very serious crime. 2. (Informal, by extension) A person committed to a particular organization, activity, or way of life for a very long time, as if it were a permanent sentence: Used metaphorically to describe someone who is a long-term, often permanent, member of a group, institution, or career.

Usage Examples

• As a prisoner:
  • The notorious gang leader was a lifer with no chance of parole.
  • The prison has a separate wing for lifers.
• As a long-term member (informal):
  • After 30 years with the company, he's considered a lifer here.
  • She's a lifer in the military; she plans to serve until retirement.

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries connotations of permanence and inescapability, whether literal (prison) or figurative (a job).
• In prison slang, it specifically distinguishes those with life sentences from inmates with shorter terms.
• In corporate or organizational slang, it can be used neutrally, admiringly (for loyalty), or pejoratively (implying a lack of ambition or change).

Variants and Related Words

• Life sentence (n): The judicial punishment of imprisonment for life.
• Lifetime (n): The duration of a person's life. This is a standard English word, not slang.

Synonyms

• (For prisoner): Life prisoner, permanent inmate.
• (For long-term member): Careerist, stalwart, veteran, long-timer, permanent fixture.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Doing life (idiom): Serving a life sentence in prison.
  • He's doing life in a maximum-security facility.
• A lifer in the system (phrase): Often used to describe someone who has spent most of their life within a particular institution (e.g., the military, a corporation, or even the foster care system).
  • As a lifer in the system, he knew all the old policies and procedures.

Noun

1. a prisoner serving a term of life imprisonment