803
life peer
will work or last: during the life of the present parliament 7 [C;U] a) a stated manner or type of existence: country life | How are you enjoying married life? b) a stated part of one's existence: her working life | my private life | the sex life of the frog | What do you think will happen in the life to come? (=the supposed existence after life on earth) 8 [U] existence as a collection of widely different experiences: You won't see much of life if you stay at home all the time. 9 [U] activity; movement: There was no sign(s) of life in the empty house. 10 [U] active; cheerfulness; VIGOUR: The children are full of life this morning. 11 [U] the cause of interest, pleasure, or happiness in living: His work is his (whole) life. 12 [the+of] a person or thing that is the cause of enjoyment or activity in a group: He was the life (and soul) of the party. 13 [U] also life imprisonment /.../ — the punishment of being put in prison for a (long) period of time which is not fixed: sentenced to life for armed robbery -> see also LIFE SENTENCE 14 [C] a written or filmed account of a person's life; a BIOGRAPHY: Boswell's Life of Johnson 15 [U] reality as the subject of painting, drawing etc: painted from life, not from photographs or memory -> see also STILL LIFE 16 all human life is there a phrase meaning that many different types of people and a wide variety of human experience are found in a particular place, situation, or type of work 17 (as) large as life not able to be mistaken; real: I'd thought he was in America, but when I turned round, there he was, large as life. 18 come/bring to life: a) to (cause to) become conscious again after fainting b) to (cause to) show or develop interest, excitement etc 19 for dear life with the greatest possible effort, especially in order to avoid harm: I clung onto the branch for dear life. 20 for the life of me in spite of all one's efforts: He couldn't for the life of him remember her name. 21 In the midst of life we are in death quote a phrase taken from the Christian prayer said when someone is buried or cremated (CREMATE) 22 life begins at forty saying you can start to enjoy life once you are 40 years old 23 life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness quote a phrase from the American Declaration of Independence which states that these are things which no government has a right to take away from people 24 Not on your life! Certainly not! 25 take one's (own) life.fml to kill oneself 26 take one's life in one's (own) hands: a) infml to put oneself in (continual) danger of death b) to get into control of one's own life 27 take someone's life.fml to kill someone 28 to the life copying or copied exactly: What an accurate portrait – it's him to the life! -> see also CHANGE OF LIFE, HIGH LIFE, LOW LIFE, PRO-LIFE, TRUE-LIFE, AFTERLIFE
Life trademark a US magazine known for having many interesting photographs of different places around the world
life-and-'death also life-or-death adj [A] 1 ending in life or death: a life-and-death struggle with a creature from outer space 2 having great importance: It's a life-and-death matter as far as the children are concerned.
'life as,surance n [U] LIFE INSURANCE
'life belt n a belt or ring made of a material that will float, held or worn in order to prevent a person from sinking after falling into water
life-blood /'laifblʌd/ n [U] 1 something that gives continuing strength and force: Trade is the lifeblood of most modern states. 2 lit blood regarded as the thing that keeps one alive
life-boat /'laifbəʊt/ n 1 a strong boat kept on shore and used for saving people in danger at sea 2 a small boat carried by a ship for escape in case of wreck, fire etc
CULTURAL NOTE The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the British organization that provides lifeboats to save people who are in trouble at sea. It is a CHARITY organization, and it collects money from the public in order to pay for its boats and equipment. All the people who work in the lifeboats are VOLUNTEERS (=they work for no money). In the US, however, lifeboat services are provided by the COASTGUARD, which is one of the government's military forces.
'life buoy n a large ring made of material that will float; LIFE BELT
'life class n an art class in which students draw or paint a person who acts as a model
'life coach n someone whose job is to help other people be successful in their lives. A life coach helps his or her CLIENT to be clear about what they want to do in the future and helps them to make a plan that will allow them to achieve their aims.
'life ,cycle n the regular development or changes in the form of a living thing in the course of its life, such as that of insects from egg to worm-like form and then to winged form
,life ex'pectancy also expectation of life n [C;U] 1 the average number of years that a person is expected to live: Life expectancy for men is about 78 years in Japan. 2 the length of time that an object, an idea, or an arrangement will be in use
'life form n a class of plant or animal: Distinctive life forms have evolved to suit this harsh climate.
lifeguard
life-guard /'laifga:d||-go:rd/ n a swimmer employed, e.g. on a BEACH or at a swimming pool, to help swimmers in danger
'Life ,Guards, the n [P] a REGIMENT (=large group of soldiers) in the British army which is part of the HOUSEHOLD CAVALRY -> see also CHANGING OF THE GUARD
,life 'history n all the events in the course of the life of one living thing
,life im'prisonment n LIFE -> see also LIFE SENTENCE
'life in,surance n [U] a kind of insurance in which a person makes regular payments so that if they die, their wife or husband and children will receive a large sum of money. With some life insurance policies (POLICY) the insured person receives a large sum of money when they reach a certain age. -> compare HEALTH INSURANCE
'life jacket n an air-filled garment worn round the upper body to support a person in water
life-less /'laifləs/ adj 1 especially lit dead: a lifeless corpse 2 derog lacking force, interest, or activity: a lifeless performance -> compare LISTLESS ---ly adv ---ness n [U]
life-like /'laiflaik/ adj being a very close or exact representation: a lifelike photograph
life-line /'laiflain/ n 1 a rope used for saving people in danger, especially at sea 2 a rope fastened to a swimmer who goes down to great depths, by which signals can be sent up 3 something on which one's life depends, such as important relationships with other people: He's severely disabled, so the telephone is his lifeline to the world.
life-long /'laiflɒŋ||-lɔ:ŋ/ adj [A] lasting all one's life: my lifelong friend
,life 'member n a person who will belong to a club etc until he/she dies and who usually will have made a single large payment for membership
,life 'membership n [U] the state of being a life member of a club etc: She has life membership of the Youth Hostels Association.
Life of Brian, The /,laif əv 'braiən/ (1979) a British film made by the actors from the MONTY PYTHON programmes, which treated the life of Jesus in a humorous way, which some people thought was offensive
life of Riley /,laif əv 'raili/ -> see lead the life of Riley (LEAD¹)
,life-or-'death adj [A] LIFE-AND-DEATH
,life 'peer, ,life 'peeress fem — n a British person who has the rank of PEER, but who is not allowed to pass the title on