life
Plurallives (some meanings)
Plurallives (some meanings)
- 1Being alive, and all the things people do and experience while they are alive.
Philosophers have long pondered the purpose of life.
He believes there is more to life than money.
UsageSay life with no the when you mean life in general: life is good.
Oppositedeath, nonexistence
- 2The time someone or something is alive, or the rest of the time someone will be alive.
Like a candle that burns from when it is lit until it goes out.
She spent her whole life in the same small town.
A mayfly's life lasts only a single day.
UsageSay all my life or my whole life. One life, two lives.
- 3One part or time of a person's life, like their home life or working life.
Like one room in a big house, kept separate from the others.
She never talks about her private life at work.
His working life began at a small bakery in town.
UsagePut a word in front: home life, school life, love life.
- 4The state of being alive, which plants, animals, and people have and things like rocks do not.
Like the difference between a growing plant and a plastic one: only one is truly alive.
Scientists wonder how life first began on Earth.
Without water, life cannot continue for long.
UsageSay life on Earth or signs of life.
Oppositedeath
- 5A person or animal that is alive, often counted among those lost or saved in a disaster.
Like counting heads to make sure everyone got out safely.
The lifeguard saved three lives at the beach last summer.
Not a single life was lost in the storm.
UsageOne life, two lives. We say save lives and lives were lost.
Similarsoul, person, individual
Note
- 6
- 7All living things, taken together as a group.
Like a crowd made up of every kind of plant and animal at once.
The ocean is full of strange and colorful life.
After the rains, life returned to the dry valley.
UsageUse plant life for plants as a group and sea life for living things in the sea.
- 8The people and things that matter most to someone, like family, work, or love.
Like the center of a wheel that everything else turns around.
Her children are her whole life.
Music became his entire life after college.
UsageSay something is your whole life when it matters most to you.
Similarworld, everything
- 9Energy and liveliness that make a person or thing seem active and interesting.
Like a spark that makes everything around it feel brighter.
The children were full of life as they ran around the park.
Her bright smile brought life to the whole room.
UsageSay full of life or bring life to a place.
Similarenergy, liveliness, spirit, vitality, vigor
Note
- 10The real world and real things, used as a model for art.
Like copying a real flower in front of you instead of one from your head.
The artist drew the horse from life, not from a photo.
His paintings look so true to life that they seem real.
UsageSay draw from life or true to life.
Note
- 11
Less common meanings
- 12The usual way of living in a certain place or group, and what it is like there.
After ten years in New York, she was tired of city life.
Life on the farm starts early, before the sun comes up.
UsageSay city life or life in the city.
- 13The person or thing that brings the most fun and energy to a group.
Like the brightest light in a room that everyone gathers around.
She was the life of the party all night.
Grandpa is always the life of any family gathering.
UsageSay someone is the life of the party.
Oppositewallflower
Note
- 14An interesting, enjoyable way of living, especially time spent with friends outside work.
Like trading a gray, empty room for one full of light and friends.
Sleeping on the street is no life for anyone.
She wanted a real life, not just endless chores.
UsageSay something is no life for anyone when a way of living is too hard.
- 15A prison punishment that keeps someone locked up until they die or are set free much later.
The judge gave him life for the crime.
She is serving life in a state prison.
UsageSay someone got life or got a life sentence.
- 16In a game, one of your chances to keep playing before you are out.
Like having a few tries to get something right before the game is over.
I lost a life when my character fell off the bridge.
You start the game with three lives.
UsageSay lose a life or get an extra life.
Similarchance
Note
- 17In some religions, a way of existing that goes on after a person dies, for example in heaven.
Grandma believed she would see Grandpa again in the next life.
Many religions teach that there is a life after death.
UsageSay life after death or the next life.
Similarafterlife
- 18An old cry of surprise or annoyance, used like a mild oath.
Note
- 19In insurance, the business of life insurance, or a person who is covered by it.
- 20In aircraft work, to decide how long a part can safely be used before it must be changed.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
From Old English "lif," going back through older Germanic words meaning "life" or "body." The deepest root may mean "to stick" or "to remain."
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- Life derives from Old English līf. en.wiktionary.org
- Its earlier Germanic ancestors meant life or body. en.wiktionary.org
- The ultimate root may mean to stick. en.wiktionary.org
- An alternative proposed ultimate root means to remain. en.wiktionary.org