as in durations
the period during which something exists, lasts, or is in progress
I saw no need to pay more for a better-built computer that would just grow obsolete before the end of its life span
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Recent Examples of life spans
Her life spans a century of dedication to and passion for all things creative in a lifetime of benefit to and for all.
—
Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
What are the life spans of data centers?
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 6 Mar. 2026
The concept of Mother Earth or Mother Nature as the center of the universe and source of all life spans Indigenous cultures around the globe.
—Melinda Laituri, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
Steeped in the civil rights movement Norton was born and raised in Washington, and her life spans the arc of the district’s trials and triumphs.
—Matt Brown, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Move your body more Adding just a few minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day can help contribute to longer life spans, particularly for people with sedentary lifestyles.
—Hunter Boyce, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
From Kuwait to a small Italian university town, and then to New York and Arizona, his life spans love and loss, grief and success.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Thirty-year life spans, the long-standing benchmark for major sports venues, became twenty-five or twenty.
—John Seabrook, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
And, as stated above, cancers are usually a disease of the old, further reducing the likelihood of seeing them in a natural population where life spans tend to be relatively short.
—New Atlas, 27 Nov. 2025
Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
What are the life spans of data centers?
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 6 Mar. 2026
The concept of Mother Earth or Mother Nature as the center of the universe and source of all life spans Indigenous cultures around the globe.
—Melinda Laituri, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
Steeped in the civil rights movement Norton was born and raised in Washington, and her life spans the arc of the district’s trials and triumphs.
—Matt Brown, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Move your body more Adding just a few minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day can help contribute to longer life spans, particularly for people with sedentary lifestyles.
—Hunter Boyce, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
From Kuwait to a small Italian university town, and then to New York and Arizona, his life spans love and loss, grief and success.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Thirty-year life spans, the long-standing benchmark for major sports venues, became twenty-five or twenty.
—John Seabrook, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
And, as stated above, cancers are usually a disease of the old, further reducing the likelihood of seeing them in a natural population where life spans tend to be relatively short.
—New Atlas, 27 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for life spans
Noun
-
The mirrorless camera was used to snap bracketed exposures — where the same scene is imaged with a variety of exposure durations — while the smart telescope was tasked with capturing RAW footage of the eclipse.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
25 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, the system was tested across charging sessions of varying durations and with different buffer storage sizes.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
What Alkassar, who lives on South Beach, does hope to do is lure not only Miami Beach residents and tourists but locals who have in recent times proved reluctant to cross the bridges from the mainland.—
Connie Ogle,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
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Its short half-life, however, required it to be injected several times a day, which limited its appeal as a drug, and the company ran out of funding.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Nico Hoerner, batting leadoff for the first time this season, was 3-for-5 with two doubles while Matt Shaw had two hits and drove in two runs for the Cubs (3-3).—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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Jonathan India hit a grand slam and drove in five runs, powering the Kansas City Royals to a 13-9 victory over Joe Ryan and the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And also how large of a barrier this is in people's day-to-day lives.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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From extreme heat and wildfire smoke to asthma and utility costs, climate change is already impacting our everyday lives.—
CBS LA Staff,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The sliding of scale of benefits was designed so people who took Social Security at different ages would reap roughly the same benefits over their lifetimes.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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About three-quarters of the American population has not witnessed humans leaving low-Earth orbit in their lifetimes.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Life spans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/life%20spans. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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