noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈlaɪf.spæn/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:L AY1 F S P AE2 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The length of time for which an organism lives.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, natural-sciences
Examples
Meronym: healthspan
Some clams have lifespans far longer than those of human beings.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: lifetime
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: timespan, span
2
noun
Meaning 2
The length of time for which something exists or is current, valid, or usable.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: lifetime, working life[durable good]]s>
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the battery had a short life
he lived a long and happy life
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: life, lifetime, life-time
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: time period, period of time, period
Narrower terms: afterlife, hereafter
History
Etymology
From life + span.
Across languages
Translations
34 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
عُمْر
(ʕumr)
— length of time for which an organism lives
Chinese Cantonese:
壽命 /寿命
(sau6 ming6)
— length of time for which an organism lives
Chinese Mandarin:
壽命 /寿命
(shòumìng)
— length of time for which an organism lives
Finnish:
elinikä
— length of time for which an organism lives
Finnish:
elinaika
— length of time for which an organism lives
French:
durée de vie
— length of time for which an organism lives
French:
longévité
— length of time for which an organism lives
German:
Lebenserwartung
— length of time for which an organism lives
Hungarian:
élettartam
— length of time for which an organism lives
Malayalam:
ആയുസ്സ്
(āyussŭ)
— length of time for which an organism lives
Navajo:
są́ náʼoogą́ą́ʼ
— length of time for which an organism lives
Polish:
długość życia
— length of time for which an organism lives
Polish:
żywotność
— length of time for which an organism lives
Russian:
продолжи́тельность жи́зни
(prodolžítelʹnostʹ žízni)
— length of time for which an organism lives
Sanskrit:
आयुष
(āyuṣa)
— length of time for which an organism lives
Sikkimese:
སྐུ་ཚེ
(sku tshe)
— length of time for which an organism lives
Spanish:
ciclo de vida
— length of time for which an organism lives
Spanish:
ciclo vital
— length of time for which an organism lives
Spanish:
longevidad
— length of time for which an organism lives
Spanish:
duración vital
— length of time for which an organism lives
Swedish:
livslängd
— length of time for which an organism lives
Tamil:
ஆயுள்
(āyuḷ)
— length of time for which an organism lives
Tamil:
வாழ்நாள்
(vāḻnāḷ)
— length of time for which an organism lives
Turkish:
ömür
— length of time for which an organism lives
Chinese Cantonese:
壽命 /寿命
(sau6 ming6)
— length of time for which something exists
Chinese Mandarin:
壽命 /寿命
(shòumìng)
— length of time for which something exists
French:
durée de vie
— length of time for which something exists
German:
Lebensdauer
— length of time for which something exists
Hungarian:
élettartam
— length of time for which something exists
Malayalam:
കാലാവധി
(kālāvadhi)
— length of time for which something exists
Spanish:
vida útil
— length of time for which something exists
Spanish:
vida
— length of time for which something exists
Tamil:
ஆயுட்காலம்
(āyuṭkālam)
— length of time for which something exists
Tamil:
அகவை
(akavai)
— length of time for which something exists
