life
n pl , lives
1 the state or quality that distinguishes living beings or organisms from dead ones and from inorganic matter, characterized chiefly by metabolism, growth, and the ability to reproduce and respond to stimuli
Related adjs →
animate →
vital
2 the period between birth and death
3 a living person or being
to save a life
4 the time between birth and the present time
a the remainder or extent of one's life
b (as modifier)
a life sentence, life membership, life subscription, life work
6 short for →
life imprisonment
7 the amount of time that something is active or functioning
the life of a battery
8 a present condition, state, or mode of existence
my life is very dull here
b (as modifier)
a life story
a a characteristic state or mode of existence
town life
b (as modifier)
life style
11 the sum or course of human events and activities
12 liveliness or high spirits
full of life
13 a source of strength, animation, or vitality
he was the life of the show
14 all living things, taken as a whole
there is no life on Mars, plant life
16 strong or high flavour, as of fresh food
17 modifier (Arts) drawn or taken from a living model
life drawing, a life mask
18 (Physics) another name for →
lifetime
19 (in certain games) one of a number of opportunities of participation
20 ♦
as large as life
Informal real and living
21 ♦
larger than life in an exaggerated form
a to become animate or conscious
b to be realistically portrayed or represented
23 ♦
for dear life urgently or with extreme vigour or desperation
24 ♦
for the life of me (him, her, etc.) though trying desperately
25 ♦
go for your life (Austral. and N.Z.)
informal an expression of encouragement
26 ♦
a matter of life and death a matter of extreme urgency
27 ♦
not on your life
Informal certainly not
28 ♦
the life and soul
Informal a person regarded as the main source of merriment and liveliness
the life and soul of the party
29 ♦
the life of Riley
Informal an easy life
30 ♦
to the life (of a copy or image) resembling the original exactly
31 ♦
to save (one's) life
Informal in spite of all considerations or attempts
he couldn't play football to save his life
32 ♦
the time of one's life a memorably enjoyable time
33 ♦
true to life faithful to reality (Old English lif; related to Old High German lib, Old Norse lif life, body)
change of life
n a nontechnical name for →
menopause
facts of life
pl n the. the details of sexual behaviour and reproduction, esp. as told to children
future life
n a life after death; afterlife
half-life
n
1 the time taken for half of the atoms in a radioactive material to undergo decay., (Symbol)
<Gtau>
2 the time required for half of a quantity of radioactive material absorbed by a living tissue or organism to be naturally eliminated (biological half-life) or removed by both elimination and decay (effective half-life)
jaws of life
pl n functioning as sing powerful shears used for cutting a vehicle open after a collision
kiss of life
n
♦
the
1 mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in which a person blows gently into the mouth of an unconscious person, allowing the lungs to deflate after each blow
2 something that revitalizes or reinvigorates
life assurance
n a form of insurance providing for the payment of a specified sum to a named beneficiary on the death of the policyholder, (Also called)
life insurance
life belt
n a ring filled with buoyant material or air, used to keep a person afloat when in danger of drowning
life buoy
n any of various kinds of buoyant device for keeping people afloat in an emergency
life cycle
n the series of changes occurring in an animal or plant between one development stage and the identical stage in the next generation
life estate
n property that may be held only for the extent of the holder's lifetime
life expectancy
n the statistically determined average number of years of life remaining after a specified age for a given group of individuals, (Also called)
expectation of life
life form
n
1 (Biology) the characteristic overall form and structure of a mature organism on the basis of which it can be classified
3 (in science fiction) an alien
Life Guards
pl n (in Britain) a cavalry regiment forming part of the Household Brigade, who wear scarlet jackets and white plumes in their helmets
life history
n
1 the series of changes undergone by an organism between fertilization of the egg and death
2 the series of events that make up a person's life
life imprisonment
n (in Britain) an indeterminate sentence always given for murder and as a maximum sentence in several other crimes. There is no remission, although the Home Secretary may order the prisoner's release on licence
life instinct
n (Psychoanal) the instinct for reproduction and self-preservation
life insurance
n another name for →
life assurance
life interest
n interest (esp. from property) that is payable to a person during his life but ceases with his death
life jacket
n an inflatable sleeveless jacket worn to keep a person afloat when in danger of drowning
life mask
n a cast taken from the face of a living person, usually using plaster of Paris
life peer
n (Brit) a peer whose title lapses at his death
life preserver
n
1 (Brit) a club or bludgeon, esp. one kept for self-defence
2 (U.S. and Canadian) a life belt or life jacket
life raft
n a raft for emergency use at sea
life-saver
n
1 the saver of a person's life
2 another name for →
lifeguard
3 Informal a person or thing that gives help in time of need
♦
life-saving adj, n
life science
n any one of the branches of science concerned with the structure and behaviour of living organisms, such as biology, botany, zoology, physiology, or biochemistry
Compare →
physical science
See also →
social science
life-size , life-sized
adj representing actual size
life space
n (Psychol) a spatial representation of all the forces that control a person's behaviour
life span
n the period of time during which a human being, animal, machine, etc., may be expected to live or function under normal conditions
life-support
adj of or providing the equipment required to sustain human life in an unnatural environment, such as in space, or in severe illness or disability
life table
n another name for →
mortality table
love life
n the part of a person's life consisting of his or her sexual relationships
mean life
n (Physics) the average time of existence of an unstable or reactive entity, such as a nucleus, elementary particle, charge carrier, etc.; lifetime. It is equal to the half-life divided by 0.693 15., (Symbol)
<Gtau>
private life
n the social or family life or personal relationships of an individual, esp. of a person in the public eye, such as a politician or celebrity
product life cycle
n (Marketing) the four stages (introduction, growth, maturity, and decline) into one of which the sales of a product fall during its market life
pro-life
adj (of an organization, pressure group, etc.) supporting the right to life of the unborn; against abortion, experiments on embryos, etc.
♦
pro-lifer n
real life
n
a actual human life, as lived by real people, esp. contrasted with the lives of fictional or fantasy characters
miracles don't happen in real life
b (as modifier)
a real-life mystery
shelf life
n the length of time a packaged food, chemical, etc., will last without deteriorating
still life
n pl , still lifes
a a painting or drawing of inanimate objects, such as fruit, flowers, etc.
b (as modifier)
a still-life painting
2 the genre of such paintings
tree of life
n
1 (Old Testament) a tree in the Garden of Eden, the fruit of which had the power of conferring eternal life (Genesis 2:9; 3:22)
2 (New Testament) a tree in the heavenly Jerusalem, for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:2)
true-life
adj directly comparable to reality
a true-life romance