1
a
: the duration of the existence of a living being (such as a person or an animal) or a thing (such as a star or a subatomic particle)
b
2
: an amount accumulated or experienced in a lifetime
a lifetime of regrets
1
: lifelong
2
: of long duration or continuance
lifetime legislation
3
: measured or achieved over the span of a career
a baseball player's lifetime batting average
Synonyms
Examples of lifetime in a Sentence
Noun
a lifetime spent traveling the world
It would have taken me a lifetime to read all those books.
Childhood seems a lifetime ago now!
a chemical with a lifetime of only a few minutes
the lifetime of a planet
Recent Examples on the Web
Merle Ginsberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Apr. 2024
Steve Salas will perform and be awarded with a lifetime achievement recognition, and other scheduled performers are Ash Easton, We The Commas and Mitchy Slick. 7 p.m. Tuesday.
—The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lifetime 
Noun
The final award of the evening — the lifetime achievement award — went to the great Mackie, whose documentary of his six-decade career, Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion, comes out May 13.
—Merle Ginsberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Apr. 2024
Steve Salas will perform and be awarded with a lifetime achievement recognition, and other scheduled performers are Ash Easton, We The Commas and Mitchy Slick. 7 p.m. Tuesday.
—The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lifetime
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lifetime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near lifetime
Cite this Entry
“Lifetime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lifetime. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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