life span
Americannoun
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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.
noun
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.
IBM has pivoted several times in its life span.
From Barron's • Dec. 10, 2025
These burrow-dwelling rats have a maximum life span of nearly 40 years, making them world's the longest-lived rodent.
From BBC • Oct. 9, 2025
Technological advances may turn back aging, extending the average life span by at least a decade.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 3, 2025
When Pes and his colleagues first visited Sardinia in the 1990s, they had speculated that the secret to the population’s longevity could be in their DNA—rare gene variants associated with an extended life span.
From Science Magazine • Nov. 20, 2024
He himself had been enmagicked as a young boy, and he knew the consequences of the action—the odd eruptions, the disruptions in thinking, the unpleasant extension of the life span.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
