lifer

[lahy-fer]

noun

Slang.

1. a person sentenced to or serving a term of life imprisonment.

2. a person committed to a professional lifetime career in the military.

3. a person who has devoted a lifetime to a profession, occupation, or pursuit.

4. (in birding)

   1. Also called life bird. a species of bird not seen previously and that will therefore be added to the bird watcher's life list.

   2. the sighting of a bird of a previously unseen species.

      It seems like forever since I've had a lifer!

lifer

/ ˈlaɪfə /

noun

1. informal,  a prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment

Word History and Origins

Origin of lifer¹

First recorded in 1820–30; life + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Ortega was approved last year to serve another four-year term by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, but doesn’t think he’s a lifer because “it’s sometimes good to have new leadership.”

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Mojave Gold arrives as a new crop of nightlife spots have opened to serve both desert lifers and newcomers to the small towns near Joshua Tree National Park.

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Ron Washington, a baseball lifer, is still perpetually upbeat despite having spent 55 of his 72 years in the game.

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Washington, a baseball lifer, still is perpetually upbeat, having spent 55 of his 72 years in the game.

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“I’m an indie-film lifer,” Baker said, noting that he doesn’t make movies to be calling cards for larger studio projects.

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Related Words

• convict 
• delinquent 
• lawbreaker 
• offender