life (n.)

  1. a characteristic state or mode of living; social life; city life; real life'

  2. living things collectively; the oceans are teeming with life'

  3. the organic phenomenon that distinguishes living organisms from nonliving ones; there is no life on the moon'

  4. an account of the series of events making up a persons life

    [ Syn: biography , life story , life history ]

  5. a motive for living; pottery was his life'

  6. a prison term lasting as long as the prisoner lives; he got life for killing the guard

    [ Syn: life sentence ]

  7. the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities; he could no longer cope with the complexities of life

    [ Syn: living ]

  8. the course of existence of an individual; the actions and events that occur in living; he hoped for a new life in Australia; he wanted to live his own life without interference from others'

  9. the condition of living or the state of being alive; while theres life theres hope; life depends on many chemical and physical processes

    [ Syn: animation , living , aliveness ]

  10. the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death); the battery had a short life; he lived a long and happy life

    [ Syn: lifetime , life-time , lifespan ]

  11. the period between birth and the present time; I have known him all his life'

  12. the period from the present until death; he appointed himself emperor for life'

  13. a living person; his heroism saved a life'

  14. animation and energy in action or expression; it was a heavy play and the actors tried in vain to give life to it

    [ Syn: liveliness , spirit , sprightliness ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.