life

/laɪf/ noun (plural lives /laɪvz/)

Definition

ANIMALS/PLANTS [U] › living things and their activities: human/marine life Is there life in outer space?

PERSON'S EXISTENCE [C] › the existence of a person: How many lives will be lost to AIDS?

TIME [C, U] › the time between a person's birth and their death: I'm not sure I want to spend the rest of my life with him. Life's too short to worry about stuff like that. Unfortunately, accidents are part of life. He had a happy life.

WAY OF LIVING [C, U] › a way of living: You lead an exciting life.

family/private/sex, etc life › one part of someone's existence: My private life is nobody's business but mine.

ACTIVITY [U] › energy and activity: She was always bubbly and full of life. I looked through the window but couldn't see any signs of life (= people moving).

ACTIVE PERIOD [no plural] › the amount of time that a machine, system, etc exists or can be used: Careful use will prolong the life of your machine.

bring sth to life/come to life › to make something more real or exciting, or to become more real or exciting

That's life. › something you say which means bad things happen and you cannot prevent them: You don't get everything you want but that's life, isn't it?

Get a life! informal › something you say to a boring person when you want them to do more exciting things: Surely you're not cleaning the house on Saturday night? Get a life! → See also the facts of life → See also give sb the kiss of life → See also give sb/sth a new lease of life → See also shelf life → See also walk of life

(Definition of life noun from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)