Life | Mean of life in English Dictionary

/ˈlaɪf/

• Noun
• the ability to grow, change, etc., that separates plants and animals from things like water or rocks
1. He believes that God gives life to all creatures.
2. the miracle of life
3. eternal/everlasting life
• the period of time when a person is alive
1. She knew what she wanted to do early in life. [=when she was young]
2. He became famous relatively late in life. [=at a relatively old age]
3. He became famous later in life. = He became famous in later life.
4. She was happy and healthy for most of her life.
5. The people in her family tend to have long/short lives.
6. I've known her all my life.
7. He is nearing the end of his life.
8. They spent their whole/entire lives in one town. = They lived in one town all their lives.
9. People can expect to change jobs several times in their life/lives.
10. They've been waiting their whole/entire life/lives for an opportunity like this.
11. This is the financial opportunity of his life. [=of his lifetime; the best chance in his life to make money]
• the experience of being alive
1. What do you really want out of life?
2. He believes in living life to the fullest. [=in living a very full and rich life]
3. All this paperwork has made life much more difficult.
4. The details of everyday/ordinary life can be fascinating.
5. life in the city/country = city/country life
6. Sometimes life just isn't fair.
7. We can laugh at things in movies that would scare us in real life. [=in a real situation; in actual existence]
8. Oh well, that's life! [=bad things will happen, and you have to deal with them]
9. Despite the political upheaval, for most people life goes on as usual. [=the activities of life continue in the usual way]
10. What do you really want to do with your life?
11. Her children say that she has ruined their lives.
12. She talked about the men in her life. [=the men she has had a romantic or close relationship with during her life]
13. She has dedicated/devoted her life to helping other people.
14. All this paperwork has made my life much more difficult.
15. They're trying to get/put their lives back together. [=to begin living in a normal way after suffering loss, hardship, etc.]
16. She was the love of my life. [=the person I loved more than any other person at any time in my life]
17. I've never heard such a silly idea in all my life! [=at any time] = Never in my life have I heard such a silly idea!
18. They're old enough to run/live their own lives. [=to make their own decisions about how to live]
19. After all the problems they've had recently, they just want to get/move on with their lives. [=to continue living their lives in the usual way]
20. I'm not surprised that I didn't get the job. That's the story of my life. [=that's the way things usually or always happen in my life]
21. She told us her life story. [=she told us about many of the things that had happened to her in her life]
22. a lack of life experience [=experience and knowledge gained through living]
23. Her life flashed before her eyes when her car was about to crash.

• a specified part of a person's life
1. He talked about his life as an artist.
2. the social lives of college students
3. How's your love/sex life?
4. They had difficult home lives when they were children.
5. They are trying to keep their personal/private lives separate from their public lives.
6. the responsibilities of their family life
• a specified way or manner of living
1. He lived/led a life of crime. [=he was a criminal]
2. They have lived/led sheltered lives.
3. He is trying to make a better life for himself and his family.
4. a fisherman's way of life
5. Most people don't approve of my way of life.
6. a traditional way of life
• the state or condition of being alive
1. They spared the horse's life. [=they did not kill the horse]
2. She feels that her life is in danger. = She fears for her life. = She is in fear for her life. [=she feels that she is in danger of being killed]
3. She risked her life [=she did something very dangerous that could have resulted in her death] to help him.
4. She gave/sacrificed her life [=she did something that resulted in her death] for her country.
5. He was running for his life. [=he was running to escape from great danger]
6. He is fighting for his life. [=he is very sick or injured and may die]
7. A would-be assassin made an attempt on the President's life. [=tried to kill the President]
• living things of a specified kind or in a specified place
1. There may be a great deal of animal/plant life still to be discovered in this region.
2. forest life
3. ocean life
4. Will we ever find intelligent life on other planets?
• the time when something can be used
1. battery life
2. the life of an insurance policy
3. They claim that using their product will extend the life of the car.
4. a warranty that is good for the life of the product
5. a product that extends the lives of the rugs/cars
• energy and spirit
1. eyes full of life
2. (informal) suck the life out of a room [=take all the fun and energy out of a group of people in a room]
• activity and movement
1. The streets were humming with life. [=the streets were filled with people and activity]
2. There were no signs of life in the deserted village.
• a book that tells about the life of a person
1. She wrote a life of Napoleon.
2. Boswell's Life of Johnson
• the punishment of being kept in a prison for the rest of your life
1. He was found guilty and sentenced to life. = (informal) He got life. = He was given life.
• something that is extremely important and often involves decisions that will determine whether someone lives or dies
1. Being prepared for severe weather can be a matter of life and death.
• in person
1. I never expected her to come to the party, but there she was, as big as life.
• to give new energy and excitement to (something)
1. She is credited with breathing new life into contemporary art.
2. The singer managed to breathe life into some tired old songs.
• to cause someone or something that has died to begin living again
1. The story is about a mad scientist who tries to bring dead people back to life.
2. They're trying to bring the restaurant back to life by introducing a new menu.
3. an old theory that is being brought back to life
• to make something very interesting, appealing, or exciting
1. She brings history to life with her books.
• to become very interesting, appealing, or exciting
1. The movie really comes to life when she appears on the screen.
• to become filled with the energy and excitement of active people
1. Downtown comes to life each night when the clubs open.
• to begin working
1. The engine suddenly roared to life.
• very tightly or quickly because of fear or danger
1. He was hanging/holding on to the rope for dear life.
2. They were running for dear life to get away from the vicious dogs.
• for the whole of your life
1. They met in college and have remained friends for life.
2. He was sentenced to prison for life.
• in any way at all
1. I couldn't for the life of me remember what her name was.
2. For the life of me, I can't think of any reasons why you wouldn't want a computer at home.
• to frighten (someone) very badly
1. You (nearly) scared the life out of me when you startled me like that!
• from looking at an actual person, object, etc.
1. drawings done from life rather than from photographs
• to stop spending time doing or thinking about things that are not important or interesting
1. My girlfriend's parents are nice people, but all they do is watch TV all day. They need to get a life.
• to die
1. She nearly lost her life in a car accident.
2. Many lives were lost. [=many people died]
• to do something that is very dangerous
1. They risked life and limb to pull the child from the river.
• to cause someone's death
1. Two years ago he was diagnosed with the illness that eventually took his life.
2. The flood claimed many lives. [=caused the deaths of many people]
• to kill yourself
1. He threatened to take his own life [=commit suicide], but no one believed him.
• someone who is very lively and amusing at a party or other social gathering
• a life that is believed by some people to come after death
1. He believed that he would see his family again in the next life.
• of or relating to life
1. the life force in all things
• done as long as a person lives
1. a life [=lifelong] member
2. my life savings [=all the money I have saved in my life]
3. He was given a life sentence in prison.