lifer
Americannoun
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a person sentenced to or serving a term of life imprisonment.
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a person committed to a professional lifetime career in the military.
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a person who has devoted a lifetime to a profession, occupation, or pursuit.
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(in birding)
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Also called life bird. a species of bird not seen previously and that will therefore be added to the bird watcher's life list.
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the sighting of a bird of a previously unseen species.
It seems like forever since I've had a lifer!
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noun
Etymology
Origin of lifer
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.
He joined the group in 1987 - a 2017 press release announcing his appointment as chairman described him as a "Tata lifer".
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Peter Moore, the former CEO at Liverpool FC and soccer lifer, has been waging a rowdy social media battle against the World Cup price explosion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
The pair told The New York Times' Athletic that, five years on, they still do not fully understand the sport - but Reynolds said he was now "a Wrexham lifer".
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026
Snead is a scouting and player personnel lifer but also something of a renaissance man.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2026
Whether or not she had it planned at the time, Mary Jackson was on her way to becoming a Langley lifer.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
