Synonyms

mean life

American

noun

Physics.

the average time that an unstable particle or nucleus survives before it decays.
decay time.

mean life British

noun

τ. physics the average time of existence of an unstable or reactive entity, such as a nucleus, elementary particle, charge carrier, etc; lifetime. It is equal to the half-life divided by 0.693 15

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This does not mean life has been confirmed on Mars.

From Science Daily

It was too hard to know which action to take when the choices might mean life or death.

From Literature

Ms Ming said that "life should mean life".

From BBC

“Really, it can mean life or death in a lot of cases where you don’t get the information, where it’s not translated in a city and county like Los Angeles.”

From Los Angeles Times

During natural disasters and extreme weather, employers’ choices can sometimes mean life or death, said David Michaels, a professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health and a former assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023