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.
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
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
Technological advances may turn back aging, extending the average life span by at least a decade.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 3, 2025
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
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.
