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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Go back one more life span and it’s 1732, the year George Washington was born.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
Unlike oil, there are no strategic fertilizer reserves, partly because they have a relatively short life span of about three to five months.
From Barron's ● Mar. 29, 2026
These burrow-dwelling rats have a maximum life span of nearly 40 years, making them the world's longest-lived rodent.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2025
But subsequent analyses show this variant is not necessary or sufficient to extend life span.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 20, 2024
But whereas I thought the big news today was Grandpa’s eloping, the first thing Papa said was something about the average life span in America being forty-seven years.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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.
