useful life
noun
: the amount of time during which something is in good enough condition to be used
the useful life of a satellite
Examples of useful life in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These schedules often require businesses to deduct the cost of these investments over an extended period, which can be much longer than the useful life of the assets.
—
Veronique De Rugy, Orange County Register, 23 May 2024
Plastic generally takes approximately 500 to 1,000 years to decompose, even though its useful life is only around 10 years.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 28 Feb. 2024
For one thing, equipment at the connection points is 30 to 40 years old, and nearing the end of its useful life.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 Aug. 2018
If the landlord applies for a rent increase based on capital improvements to a heating system, tenants can object by arguing that the existing system has not exceeded its useful life as outlined by the state.
—Jill Terreri Ramos, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
The chemical, a wood preservative and known carcinogen, was once routinely applied to telephone and electric poles to lengthen their useful life.
—Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024
Avoid overspending on these items, considering their limited useful life.
—Pattie Ehsaei, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
If the inspection shows the roof has five or more years of useful life left, the insurance company could not reject coverage simply because of age.
—Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
This will replace equipment that is past its useful life.
—Tom Johanningmeier, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2024
Veronique De Rugy, Orange County Register, 23 May 2024
Plastic generally takes approximately 500 to 1,000 years to decompose, even though its useful life is only around 10 years.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 28 Feb. 2024
For one thing, equipment at the connection points is 30 to 40 years old, and nearing the end of its useful life.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 Aug. 2018
If the landlord applies for a rent increase based on capital improvements to a heating system, tenants can object by arguing that the existing system has not exceeded its useful life as outlined by the state.
—Jill Terreri Ramos, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
The chemical, a wood preservative and known carcinogen, was once routinely applied to telephone and electric poles to lengthen their useful life.
—Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024
Avoid overspending on these items, considering their limited useful life.
—Pattie Ehsaei, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
If the inspection shows the roof has five or more years of useful life left, the insurance company could not reject coverage simply because of age.
—Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
This will replace equipment that is past its useful life.
—Tom Johanningmeier, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'useful life.' 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 useful life
Cite this Entry
“Useful life.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/useful%20life. Accessed 31 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share