lifespan

Everyday

1. A lifespan is how long a person, animal or plant lives, or usually lives. tree →
2. A lifespan is how long a thing lasts or works, like a battery or a machine. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons pupils compare lifespans: a mayfly lives a day, a mouse about 2 years, a dog about 12, a human about 80, a Greenland shark hundreds of years. In maths, lifespans are used for subtraction and comparison problems. In everyday life, the lifespan of a phone or light bulb tells how long it lasts. Phrases: «average lifespan», «short lifespan», «expected lifespan».

Examples

• The average lifespan of a dog is about 12 years. tree →
• A mayfly has a very short lifespan. tree →
• Tortoises can have a lifespan of over 100 years. tree →
• Human lifespans have grown longer thanks to medicine. tree →
• This light bulb has a lifespan of 10,000 hours. tree →
• If a cat lives 15 years and a hamster 2 years, the cat's lifespan is 13 years longer. tree →

Note

Countable: a lifespan, lifespans. One word or two (life span). «Average lifespan» or «life expectancy» is an average: many live shorter or longer. Myth: people in the past did not all die at 30; the average was low mainly because many babies died.