lifetime

American  

[lahyf-tahym] / ˈlaɪfˌtaɪm /

noun

1. the time that the life of someone or something continues; the term of a life.

   peace within our lifetime.

2. Physics. mean life.

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adjective

1. for the duration of a person's life.

   He has a lifetime membership in the organization.

lifetime British  

/ ˈlaɪfˌtaɪm /

noun

1. 1. the length of time a person or animal is alive

   2. ( as modifier )

      a lifetime supply

2. the length of time that something functions, is useful, etc

3. physics the average time of existence of an unstable or reactive entity, such as a nucleus, excited state, elementary particle, etc; mean life

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Etymology

Origin of lifetime

First recorded in 1175–1225, lifetime is from the Middle English word liftime. See life, time

Example Sentences

The initiative will have a lifetime value of $542 billion, Buck estimated.

From Barron's

I’ve started to feel like one lifetime’s not enough for this profession and that there keeps being so much to learn.

From Los Angeles Times

Parton’s lifetime love of wigs — and building a repertoire of different styles — started when her first record label took her out to the West Coast.

From Los Angeles Times

By gifting these shares to your children during your lifetime, they lost their step-up in basis, meaning they have to pay capital gains on any appreciation based on the original purchase price.

From MarketWatch

“So much of our lifetime value in a customer is tied to them thinking about this as a habit,” Gopal said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• career
• life
• period