lifetime

[lahyf-tahym]

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.

adjective

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

   He has a lifetime membership in the organization.

lifetime

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lifetime¹

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

Example Sentences

Roblox generated $3.6 billion in revenue last year, but that number undercounts the platform’s commercial power because the company recognizes most revenue over a two-year period, which is considered the average lifetime of a customer.

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Two major obstacles held it back: most manganese complexes required a long, complicated synthesis involving nine or ten steps, and they typically had very short excited-state lifetimes.

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"This new charge is likely to reduce demand for electric cars as it increases their lifetime cost," the report says.

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Their short lifetime, combined with the natural variability of clouds, makes aerosol-cloud interactions the biggest source of uncertainty in climate forecasts.

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Health Minister Wes Streeting told lawmakers "obesity robs children of the best possible start in life, hits the poorest hardest, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems".

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Related Words

• career 
• life 
• period