new lease on life

A fresh start; renewed vigor and good health, as in Since they bought his store Dad has had a new lease on life. This term with its allusion to a rental agreement dates from the early 1800s and originally referred only to recovery from illness. By the mid-1800s it was applied to any kind of fresh beginning.

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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.

The Gas Company Tower, one of Los Angeles’ tallest skyscrapers, may get a new lease on life if a sale goes through.

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The Griffith Park carousel — a “crown jewel” of the park, where Walt Disney first dreamed up Disneyland — is getting a new lease on life just in time for its 2026 centennial.

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Dexter’s “death” in “New Blood” actually gives the character a new lease on life, literally and figuratively, he added.

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Williams, the inmate who was 18 when he committed the crime that sent him to death row, said his new lease on life is similarly bittersweet.

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Emily said on TikTok the mission was "beyond parody", adding there was a "very small group of people who are interested in going to space for the sake of getting a new lease on life while most people on planet Earth are worried about paying rent".