From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlifetimelife‧time /ˈlaɪftaɪm/ ●●○ noun [countable usually singular] 1 LIFEthe period of time during which someone is alive or something exists → lifespanduring/in somebody’s lifetime During her lifetime she had witnessed two world wars. It’s the sort of opportunity you see only once in a lifetime.2 → the chance/experience etc of a lifetime3 → not in this lifetime
Examples from the Corpus
lifetime• Would it continue to fascinate for a lifetime?• The National Medal of Arts award is meant to honor a lifetime of achievement.• Grief following any death can last a lifetime.• A good tool should last a lifetime.• The government had argued that the original military recruiters didn't have the authority to offer lifetime health care.• In our lifetime, ordinary people will travel to the moon.• All of Callinicos' philosophical sophistication and matchless political experience evaporate in the face of the art of his own lifetime.• During Dickinson's lifetime, only a few of her works were actually published.• He suffered a lot of pain in his short lifetime.• Few women have been so worshipped and detested in their lifetime and by posterity.• Create something that you love in your lifetime.• Good looks can last your lifetime!once in a lifetime• The Olympics is a once in a lifetime opportunity.• Such opportunities are once in a lifetime.• A beautiful, once in a lifetime waltz, choreographed by the rock.• This kind of thing happens once in a lifetime.• The forked road which every star, perhaps every person, faces at least once in a lifetime lay dead ahead.• The rules are most useful on formal occasions like weddings, and particularly when they happen only once in a lifetime. 