MEANING
The length of time a living thing survives or an object remains usable.
Use it for
describing how long an organism lives; comparing a person’s life with a longer historical timescale; showing an object’s limited period of usefulness; distinguishing longevity from immortalityNames the duration between beginning and ending, rather than mortality as a condition shared by living things. Writing functions: Death / Mortality.
Words that belong together
- a short lifespan
- the average lifespan
- extend a lifespan
On the page
The tree’s lifespan had contained three generations of the family.
The machine had outlasted its expected lifespan, but nobody remained who knew how to repair it.
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- lifespan
Usage notes
Countable noun: lifespan, lifespans. Life span is an alternative written form of the same compound, not a separate entry. Register: neutral. Commonness: common (dictionary-informed qualitative editorial estimate; not a measured frequency).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.