state of living
1 [U] the ability to breathe, grow, reproduce, etc. which people, animals and plants have before they die and which objects do not have:
life and death * The body was cold and showed no signs of life. * My father died last year-I wish I could bring him back to life. * In spring the countryside bursts into life.
2 [U,C] the state of being alive as a human being; an individual person's existence:
The floods caused a massive loss of life (= many people were killed). * He risked his life to save his daughter from the fire. * Hundreds of lives were threatened when the building collapsed. * The operation saved her life. * My grandfather lost his life (= was killed) in the Second World War. * Several attempts have been made on the President's life (= several people have tried to kill him).
living things
3 [U] living things:
plant / animal life * marine / pond life * Is there intelligent life on other planets?
period of time
4 [C,U] the period between sb's birth and their death; a part of this period:
He's lived here all his life. * I've lived in England for most of my life. * to have a long / short life * He became very weak towards the end of his life. * Brenda took up tennis late in life. * He will spend the rest of his life (= until he dies) in a wheelchair. * There's no such thing as a job for life any longer. * She is a life member of the club. * in early / adult life
5 [C] (used with an adjective) a period of sb's life when they are in a particular situation or job:
She has been an accountant all her working life. * He met a lot of interesting people during his life as a student. * They were very happy throughout their married life.
6 [C] the period of time when sth exists or functions:
The International Stock Exchange started life as a London coffee shop. * They could see that the company had a limited life (= it was going to close). * In Italy the average life of a government is eleven months.
seealsoSHELFLIFE
punishment
7 [U] the punishment of being sent to prison for life; life IMPRISONMENT:
The judge gave him life. * She is doing life for murder.
experience / activities
8 [U] the experience and activities that are typical of all people's existences:
the worries of everyday life * He is young and has little experience of life. * Commuting is a part of daily life for many people. * Jill wants to travel and see life for herself. * We bought a dishwasher to make life easier. * In Africa life can be hard. * In real life (= when she met him) he wasn't how she had imagined him at all. * Life can be difficult when you move to a new town. * Life isn't like in the movies, you know.
9 [U,C] the activities and experiences that are typical of a particular way of living:
country / city life * She enjoyed political life. * family / married life * How do you find life in America?
10 [C] a person's experiences during their life, the activities that form a particular part of a person's life:
He has had a good life. * a hard / an easy life * My day-to-day life is not very exciting. * a life of luxury / crime * Her daily life involved meeting lots of people. * She lived a quiet life in the countryside. * Many of these children have led very sheltered lives (= they have not had many different experiences). * They emigrated to start a new life in America. * He doesn't like to talk about his private life. * She has a full social life. * articles about the love lives of the stars
seealsoSEXLIFE
energy / excitement
11 [U] the quality of being active and exciting:
This is a great holiday resort that is full of life. * We need to inject some new life into this project.
in art
12 [U] a living model or a real object or scene that people draw or paint:
She had lessons in drawing from life. * a life class (= one in which art students draw a naked man or woman)
seealsoSTILLLIFE
story of life
13 [C] a story of sb's life
SYNBIOGRAPHY:
She wrote a life of Mozart.
in children's games
14 [C] one of a set number of chances before a player is out of a game:
He's lost two lives, so he's only got one left.
IDIOMS
be sb's life be the most important person or thing to sb:
My children are my life. * Writing is his life.
bring sb/sth to life to make sb/sth more interesting or exciting:
The new teacher really brought French to life for us. * Flowers can bring a dull room back to life.
come to life
1 to become more interesting, exciting or full of activity:
The match finally came to life in the second half.
2 to start to act or move as if alive:
In my dream all my toys came to life.
for dear life
