life (lives plural )
1 n-uncount Life is the quality which people, animals, and plants have when they are not dead, and which objects and substances do not have.
...a baby's first minutes of life..., Amnesty International opposes the death penalty as a violation of the right to life., ...the earth's supply of life-giving oxygen.
2 n-uncount You can use life to refer to things or groups of things which are alive.
with supp
Is there life on Mars?..., The book includes some useful facts about animal and plant life.
3 n-count If you refer to someone's life, you mean their state of being alive, especially when there is a risk or danger of them dying.
usu poss N
Your life is in danger..., A nurse began to try to save his life..., The intense fighting is reported to have claimed many lives.
4 n-count Someone's life is the period of time during which they are alive.
poss N
He spent the last fourteen years of his life in retirement..., For the first time in his life he regretted that he had no faith.
5 n-count You can use life to refer to a period of someone's life when they are in a particular situation or job.
with supp, usu poss N
Interior designers spend their working lives keeping up to date with the latest trends..., That was the beginning of my life in the television business.
6 n-count You can use life to refer to particular activities which people regularly do during their lives.
supp N
My personal life has had to take second place to my career..., Most diabetics have a normal sex life.
7 n-uncount You can use life to refer to the events and experiences that happen to people while they are alive.
Life won't be dull!..., It's the people with insecurities who make life difficult.
8 n-uncount If you know a lot about life, you have gained many varied experiences, for example by travelling a lot and meeting different kinds of people.
I was 19 and too young to know much about life..., I needed some time off from education to experience life.
9 n-uncount You can use life to refer to the things that people do and experience that are characteristic of a particular place, group, or activity.
usu supp N
How did you adjust to college life?, ...the culture and life of north Africa...
10 n-uncount A person, place, book, or film that is full of life gives an impression of excitement, energy, or cheerfulness., (approval)
The town itself was full of life and character...
11 n-uncount If someone is sentenced to life, they are sentenced to stay in prison for the rest of their life or for a very long time.
INFORMAL He could get life in prison, if convicted.
12 n-count The life of something such as a machine, organization, or project is the period of time that it lasts for.
with poss
The repairs did not increase the value or the life of the equipment.
13 If you bring something to life or if it comes to life, it becomes interesting or exciting.
bring sth to life/come to life phrase V inflects
The cold, hard cruelty of two young men is vividly brought to life in this true story..., Poems which had seemed dull and boring suddenly came to life.
14 If something or someone comes to life, they become active.
come to life phrase V inflects
The volcano came to life a week ago.
15 If you say that someone is fighting for their life, you mean that they are in a very serious condition and may die as a result of an accident or illness. (JOURNALISM)
fight for one's life phrase V inflects
He was in a critical condition, fighting for his life in hospital.
16 For life means for the rest of a person's life.
for life phrase PHR after v, n PHR
He was jailed for life in 1966 for the murder of three policemen..., She may have been scarred for life...
17 If you say that someone does something for dear life or for their life, you mean that they do it using all their strength and effort because they are in a dangerous or urgent situation.
INFORMAL
for one's life/for dear life phrase PHR after v (emphasis)
I made for the life raft and hung on for dear life.
18 If you tell someone to get a life, you are expressing frustration with them because their life seems boring or they seem to care too much about unimportant things.
INFORMAL
get a life phrase
(disapproval)
19 You can use in all my life or in my life to emphasize that you have never previously experienced something to such a degree.
in all my life phrase usu with brd-neg, usu PHR after v (emphasis)
I have never been so scared in all my life...
20 If you say that someone or something is larger than life, you mean that they appear or behave in a way that seems more exaggerated or important than usual.
larger than life phrase v-link PHR, PHR n
...not that we should expect all good publishers to be larger than life..., Throughout his career he's always been a larger than life character.
21 If someone lays down their life for another person, they die so that the other person can live.
LITERARY
lay down one's life phrase V inflects, usu PHR for n
Man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.
22 If someone risks life and limb, they do something very dangerous that may cause them to die or be seriously injured.
risk life and limb phrase V inflects
Viewers will remember the dashing hero, Dirk, risking life and limb to rescue Daphne from the dragons.
23 If you refer to someone as the life and soul of the party, you mean that they are very lively and entertaining on social occasions, and are good at mixing with people. In American English, you usually say that they are the life of the party.
the life and soul of the party/the life and soul phrase usu v-link PHR (approval)
24 If something starts life or begins life as a particular thing, it is that thing when it first starts to exist.
start life/begin life phrase V inflects, usu PHR as n
Herr's book started life as a dramatic screenplay.
25 If someone takes another person's life, they kill them. If someone takes their own life, they kill themselves.
FORMAL
take sb's life phrase V and N inflect
Before execution, he admitted to taking the lives of at least 35 more women..., He helped his first wife take her life when she was dying of cancer.
26 You can use expressions such as to come to life, to spring to life, and to roar into life to indicate that a machine or vehicle suddenly starts working or moving.
LITERARY
come to life/spring to life/roar into life phrase V inflects
To his great relief the engine came to life..., In the garden of the Savoy Hotel the sprinklers suddenly burst into life.
27 →
fact of life →
kiss of life →
a matter of life and death →
death →
a new lease of life →
lease →
to have the time of your life →
time →
true to life →
true
change of life
The change of life is the menopause. n-sing the N
double life (double lives plural )If you say that someone is living adouble life, you mean that they lead two separate and very different lives, and they appear to be a different person in each. n-count usu sing
She threatened to publicly expose his double life if he left her.
fact of life (facts of life plural )
1 n-count You say that something which is not pleasant is a fact of life when there is nothing you can do to change it so you must accept it.
Stress is a fact of life from time to time for all of us.
2 n-plural If you tell a child about the facts of life, you tell him or her about sexual intercourse and how babies are born.
the N
There comes a time when children need to know more than the basic facts of life.
half-life (half-lives plural ), half life The half-life of a radioactive substance is the amount of time that it takes to lose half its radioactivity. n-count
high life
You use thehigh life to refer to an exciting and luxurious way of living that involves a great deal of entertainment, going to parties, and eating good food. n-sing also no det
...the Hollywood high life...
kiss of life
If you give someone who has stopped breathing the kiss of life, you put your mouth onto their mouth and breathe into their lungs to make them start breathing again.
(BRIT) n-sing the N
Julia was given the kiss of life but she could not be revived.
in AM, use mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
life-affirming
A life-affirming activity or attitude emphasizes the positive aspects of life. adj usu ADJ n (approval)
The exhibition is an enjoyable and, ultimately, life-affirming experience.
life-and-death
→
death
life assurance
Life assurance is the same as life insurance.
(BRIT) n-uncount
...a life assurance policy.
life coach (life coaches plural )A life coach is someone whose job involves helping people to improve their lives by doing challenging or worthwhile things. n-count
life coaching n-uncount
...life-coaching workshops.
life cycle (life cycles plural )
1 n-count The life cycle of an animal or plant is the series of changes and developments that it passes through from the beginning of its life until its death.
usu with poss
The dormant period is another stage in the life cycle of the plant.
2 n-count The life cycle of something such as an idea, product, or organization is the series of developments that take place in it from its beginning until the end of its usefulness.
Each new product would have a relatively long life cycle.
life-enhancing
If you describe something as life-enhancing, you mean that it makes you feel happier and more content. adj
...a life-enhancing and exciting trip..., His letters, like his poetry, are life-enhancing and a delight.
life expectancy (life expectancies plural )The life expectancy of a person, animal, or plant is the length of time that they are normally likely to live. n-uncount also N in pl
The average life expectancy was 40..., They had longer life expectancies than their parents.
life force , life-force
Life force is energy that some people believe exists in all living things and keeps them alive. n-uncount
life form (life forms plural )A life form is any living thing such as an animal or plant. n-count with supp
life history (life histories plural )The life history of a person is all the things that happen to them during their life. n-count
Some people give you their life history without much prompting.
life imprisonment
If someone is sentenced to life imprisonment, they are sentenced to stay in prison for the rest of their life, or for a very long period of time. n-uncount
(=life)
life insurance
Life insurance is a form of insurance in which a person makes regular payments to an insurance company, in return for a sum of money to be paid to them after a period of time, or to their family if they die. n-uncount
(=life assurance)
I have also taken out a life insurance policy on him just in case.
life jacket (life jackets plural ), lifejacket A life jacket is a sleeveless jacket which helps you to float when you have fallen into deep water. n-count
life member (life members plural )If you are a life member of a club or organization, you have paid or been chosen to be a member for the rest of your life. n-count oft N of n
life peer (life peers plural )In Britain, a life peer is a person who is given a title such as `Lord' or `Lady' which they can use for the rest of their life but which they cannot pass on when they die. n-count
He was made a life peer in 1991.
life preserver (life preservers plural )A life preserver is something such as a life jacket, which helps you to float when you have fallen into deep water.
(AM) n-count
life raft (life rafts plural ), life-raft A life raft is a small rubber boat carried on an aircraft or large boat which can be filled with air and used in an emergency. n-count
life-saving
1 adj A life-saving drug, operation, or action is one that saves someone's life or is likely to save their life.
usu ADJ n
...life-saving drugs such as antibiotics..., She decided her child should go to America for life-saving treatment.
2 n-uncount You use life-saving to refer to the skills and activities connected with rescuing people, especially people who are drowning.
life science (life sciences plural )The life sciences are sciences such as zoology, botany, and anthropology which are concerned with human beings, animals, and plants. n-count usu pl
life sentence (life sentences plural )If someone receives a life sentence, they are sentenced to stay in prison for the rest of their life, or for a very long period of time. n-count
Some were serving life sentences for murder.
life-size
A life-size representation of someone or something, for example a painting or sculpture, is the same size as the person or thing that they represent. adj
...a life-size statue of an Indian boy.
life-sized
Life-sized means the same as life-size. adj
life-support machine (life-support machines plural )A life-support machine is the equipment that is used to keep a person alive when they are very ill and cannot breathe without help.
(mainly BRIT) n-count
He is in a coma and on a life-support machine.
in AM, use respirator
life-support system (life-support systems plural )A life-support system is the same as a life-support machine. n-count
life's work
Someone's life's work or life work is the main activity that they have been involved in during their life, or their most important achievement. n-sing usu poss N
An exhibition of his life's work is being shown in the garden of his home..., My father's life work was devoted to the conservation of the Longleat estate.
life-threatening
If someone has a life-threatening illness or is in a life-threatening situation, there is a strong possibility that the illness or the situation will kill them. adj oft adv ADJ
Caitlin was born with a life-threatening heart abnormality.
long-life
Long-life light bulbs and batteries are manufactured so that they last longer than ordinary ones. Long-life fruit juice and milk have been specially treated so that they last a long time. adj ADJ n
love life (love lives plural )Someone's love life is the part of their life that consists of their romantic and sexual relationships. n-count
His love life was complicated, and involved intense relationships.
low life , low-life, lowlife
People sometimes use low life to refer in a disapproving way to people who are involved in criminal, dishonest, or immoral activities, or to these activities. n-uncount oft N n (disapproval)
...the sort of low-life characters who populate this film.
pro-life
Someone who is pro-life thinks that women do not have a right to choose whether or not to give birth to a child they have conceived, and that abortion is wrong in most or all circumstances. adj usu ADJ n (Antonym: pro-choice)
...the pro-life movement.
real life
If something happens inreal life, it actually happens and is not just in a story or in someone's imagination. n-uncount usu in N
In real life men like Richard Gere don't marry street girls...
Real life is also an adjective., adj ADJ n
...a real-life horror story.
right to life
When people talk about an unborn baby's right to life, they mean that a baby has the right to be born, even if it is severely disabled or if its mother does not want it. n-sing oft N n
...the Right to Life Campaign.
sex life (sex lives plural )If you refer to someone's sex life, you are referring to their sexual relationships and sexual activity. n-count oft with poss
shelf life (shelf lives plural )The shelf life of a product, especially food, is the length of time that it can be kept in a shop or at home before it becomes too old to sell or use. n-count usu sing
Mature flour has a longer shelf life.
social life (social lives plural )Your social life involves spending time with your friends, for example at parties or in pubs or bars. n-count with supp, oft with poss
still life (still lifes plural )A still life is a painting or drawing of an arrangement of objects such as flowers or fruit. It also refers to this type of painting or drawing. n-var
walk of life (walks of life plural )The walk of life that you come from is the position that you have in society and the kind of job you have. n-count usu pl
(=background)
One of the greatest pleasures of this job is meeting people from all walks of life.
way of life (ways of life plural )
1 n-count A way of life is the behaviour and habits that are typical of a particular person or group, or that are chosen by them.
usu sing, oft poss N, adj N
Mining activities have totally disrupted the traditional way of life of the Yanomami Indians.
2 n-count If you describe a particular activity as away of life for someone, you mean that it has become a very important and regular thing in their life, rather than something they do or experience occasionally.
usu sing
She likes it so much it's become a way of life for her.
work-life balance
Your work-life balance is how you organize your days, for example how many hours you spend at work, and how much time you spend with friends or doing things you enjoy. n-uncount
Senior managers stipulated work-life balance as their main criterion when choosing jobs.
