life

noun

noun: life; noun: one's life; plural noun: one's lifes

1.

the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.

"the origins of life"

synonyms: existence, being, living, animation; More

antonyms: death, nonexistence

living things and their activity.

"some sort of life existed on Mars"

synonyms: living things, living beings, living creatures, the living; More

a particular type or aspect of people's existence.

plural noun: lives

"an experienced teacher will help you settle into school life"

synonyms: way of life, lifestyle, situation, fate, lot

"an easy life"

vitality, vigor, or energy.

"she was beautiful and full of life"

synonyms: vivacity, animation, liveliness, vitality, verve, high spirits, exuberance, zest, buoyancy, enthusiasm, energy, vigor, dynamism, elan, gusto, brio, bounce, spirit, fire; More

2.

the existence of an individual human being or animal.

"a disaster that claimed the lives of 266 Americans"

synonyms: person, human being, individual, soul

"more than 1,500 lives were lost in the accident"

a biography.

"a life of Shelley"

either of the two states of a person's existence separated by death (as in Christianity and some other religious traditions).

"too much happiness in this life could reduce the chances of salvation in the next"

any of a number of successive existences in which a soul is held to be reincarnated (as in Hinduism and some other religious traditions).

a chance to live after narrowly escaping death (especially with reference to the nine lives traditionally attributed to cats).

3.

the period between the birth and death of a living thing, especially a human being.

"she has lived all her life in the country"

synonyms: lifetime, life span, days, time on earth, existence

"the last nine months of his life"

the period during which something inanimate or abstract continues to exist, function, or be valid.

"underlay helps to prolong the life of a carpet"

informal

a sentence of imprisonment for life.

4.

(in art) the depiction of a subject from a real model, rather than from an artist's imagination.

"the pose and clothing were sketched from life" 

this is life