life span

American

noun

the longest period over which the life of any organism or species may extend, according to the available biological knowledge concerning it.
the longevity of an individual.

life span British

noun

the period of time during which a human being, animal, machine, etc, may be expected to live or function under normal conditions

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

life spans

plural

Etymology

Origin of life span

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

life span

Subsequent research has connected it to improved insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular protection, longer life span, and the preservation of cognitive function.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026

At the individual level, you may extract much more or much less than you paid in, depending on accidents such as your life span.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

Cronus was roughly 11 years old when he died, which is around the average life span of a male tarantula, according to experts at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

IBM has pivoted several times in its life span.

From Barron's ● Dec. 10, 2025

Many people believed that the hardships of the expedition had drastically shortened his life span.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023