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
Amy Wagner and Steve Hruby, The Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2024
Marcus and his wife Billi were among the first to sign The Giving Pledge, a group of super wealthy who promise to give at least half of their fortune to charitable causes during their lifetimes or in their wills.
—Kerry A. Dolan, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Stephan Rabimov, Forbes, 24 May 2021
In addition to keynote speeches, panel discussions, workshops and networking, the 2019 Music Biz conference will again take time to recognize both recent and lifetime achievements.
—Gary Graff, Billboard, 29 Apr. 2019
See all Example Sentences for lifetime 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Noun
Just be mindful that this option comes with a few limitations, including: The 529 plan account must be at least 15 years old; there's a lifetime rollover limit of $35,000; and the conversion counts towards the annual Roth IRA contribution limit.
—Amy Wagner and Steve Hruby, The Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2024
Marcus and his wife Billi were among the first to sign The Giving Pledge, a group of super wealthy who promise to give at least half of their fortune to charitable causes during their lifetimes or in their wills.
—Kerry A. Dolan, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
Getting an Emmy award is a lifetime dream for many.
—Stephan Rabimov, Forbes, 24 May 2021
In addition to keynote speeches, panel discussions, workshops and networking, the 2019 Music Biz conference will again take time to recognize both recent and lifetime achievements.
—Gary Graff, Billboard, 29 Apr. 2019
See all Example Sentences for lifetime
Dictionary Entries Near lifetime
Cite this Entry
“Lifetime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lifetime. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share