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.
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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.
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
The technology is advancing so fast, moreover, that there may be a payoff both in life span and “health span,” your time actually living without serious disease.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
The Mediterranean island, they thought, offered ideal conditions for studying the genes and habits that can influence life span: Its population is relatively isolated, with low rates of immigration and little genetic diversity.
From Science Magazine • Nov. 20, 2024
The females behave more like males, but this also reduces their life span and reproductive output.
From Salon • Oct. 23, 2024
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
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.
