1. The condition of living or the state of being alive
   "while there's life there's hope"; "life depends on many chemical and physical processes";
   - animation, living, aliveness
    
2. The experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
   "he could no longer cope with the complexities of life";
   - living
    
3. The course of existence of an individual; the actions and events that occur in living
   "get a life!"; "he is trying to rebuild his life"; "he hoped for a new life in Australia"; "he wanted to live his own life without interference from others"
    
4. A characteristic state or mode of living
   "real life"; "social life"; "city life"
    
5. The period during which something is functional (as between birth and death)
   "he lived a long and happy life"; "the battery had a short life";
   - lifetime, lifespan
    
6. The period between birth and the present time
   "I have known him all his life"
    
7. The period from the present until death
   "he appointed himself emperor for life"
    
8. The organic phenomenon that distinguishes living organisms from nonliving ones
   "there is no life on the moon"
    
9. Living things collectively
   "the oceans are teeming with life"
    
10. A living person
    "his heroism saved a life"
     
11. Animation and energy in action or expression
    "it was a heavy play and the actors tried in vain to give life to it";
    - liveliness, spirit, sprightliness
     
12. A motive for living
    "pottery was his life"
     
13. An account of the series of events making up a person's life
    "The new life story of the artist revealed many unknown aspects of her childhood";
    - biography, life story, life history, biog [informal], bio [informal]
     
14. A prison term lasting as long as the prisoner lives
    "he got life for killing the guard"; "He received a life sentence for the murder";
    - life sentence

Derived forms: lives

See also: alive, dead, full of life, live, lively, vital

Type of: account, animate thing, animation, being, beingness, brio, chronicle, existence, experience, face of the earth, history, individual, invigoration, living thing, mortal, motivation, motive, organic phenomenon, period, period of time, person, prison term, sentence, somebody, someone, soul, spiritedness, story, time, time period, time span, vivification

Encyclopedia: Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness