lifetime

American  

[lahyf-tahym] / ˈlaɪfˌtaɪm /

noun

1. the time that the life of someone or something continues; the term of a life.

   peace within our lifetime.

2. Physics.  mean life.

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adjective

1. for the duration of a person's life.

   He has a lifetime membership in the organization.

lifetime British  

/ ˈlaɪfˌtaɪm /

noun

1. 1. the length of time a person or animal is alive

   2. ( as modifier )

      a lifetime supply

2. the length of time that something functions, is useful, etc

3. physics the average time of existence of an unstable or reactive entity, such as a nucleus, excited state, elementary particle, etc; mean life

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Etymology

Origin of lifetime

First recorded in 1175–1225, lifetime is from the Middle English word liftime. See life, time

Example Sentences

That’s because the quality issue relates to the lifetime of the part before it needs to be replaced, the person said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Whatever he did not spend during his lifetime would be passed down to his heirs.

From MarketWatch

Three monarchs have been on the throne during my lifetime, and each understood that what matters is the impression they make on their subjects: their image.

From BBC

As for how to wind down before the day on which he achieves his lifetime ambition, Norris said he was going to try to relax in his hotel room on Saturday night.

From BBC

"It's so phenomenal to be able to say in my lifetime, I have seen something going from being incurable, a life sentence, to actually something that is a chronic disease."

From BBC

Related Words

• career
• life
• period