life
- noun
- /laɪf/
- Specialized
- I could get the clink for life or the electric chair.
- a life sentence
- life in prison
Examples
-
This is an urgent mission to save Marty from throwing his life away!
-
Anyone mentions this to anyone, you will spend the rest of your life in a dark, dank prison cell on a nameless island.
-
"I want him to understand he could be in prison for life." - Sahn's mom
Academic text (2011) -
Failure to adhere to these guidelines was punishable by life imprisonment or drawing and quartering.
Academic text (2013) -
The judge sentenced him to life in prison, meaning he would spend the rest of his days behind bars.
-
After the conviction, the defendant faced a sentence of life with no chance of parole.
-
She will serve life in prison for her role in the crime, ensuring she remains incarcerated until her death.
Synonyms
A prison term that lasts for the rest of a person's life
A sentence that keeps someone in prison for the rest of their life
Idioms
Kept alive by machines after a serious illness or kept working only with little help
- Informal
A person with a very strong, exciting personality who attracts attention
In a very urgent and determined way as if everything depended on it
- Informal
A person who makes parties fun by being lively and entertaining others
- Informal
A situation where someone has an easy, comfortable life with few worries or responsibilities
- Informal
Different parts of life have their own good things to enjoy one at a time
To become larger and hard to control as it spreads beyond where it started
Compounds
How good a person's life feels because of their health, culture, and where they live, not money
- Specialized
Medical machines that keep a person alive by helping them breathe or keeping the heart working
- Specialized
Equipment that keeps a person alive by doing the body's most important jobs
- Specialized
A strong tool rescuers use to force open crashed cars and free trapped people
- Archaic
A very important drink people see as necessary for life that sometimes means whiskey or brandy
- NSFW
An art class where students draw, paint, or sculpt a live person who holds a pose often nude
Surface Forms
Etymology
Life comes from an old German word meaning 'to live'. So when someone is given 'life' in a legal sentence, it means a prison term for the rest of the time they are alive.