life cycle

noun

1
: the series of stages in form and functional activity through which an organism passes between successive recurrences of a specified primary stage
2
: life history sense 2
3
: a series of stages through which something (such as an individual, culture, or manufactured product) passes during its lifetime

Examples of life cycle in a Sentence

the life cycle of a shark
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Their life cycle begins after female and male dragonflies mate and the female dragonfly lays tiny eggs in freshwater. — Olga R. Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026 This move allowed the company to provide better product-level life cycle assessment data enabling digital product passport creation across its product portfolio. — Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026 My work in comprehensive products and solutions has shown me that modern claims organizations can benefit from a different model—one where property intelligence is connected across the claim life cycle. — David Tobias, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 This discovery increases our understanding of the life cycles of galaxies. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for life cycle

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of life cycle was in 1855

Rhymes for life cycle

See All Rhymes for life cycle

Browse Nearby Words

life coach
life cycle
life everlasting
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Life cycle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/life%20cycle. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

life cycle

noun
1
: the series of stages of form and activity through which a living thing passes from a beginning stage (as an egg) in one individual to the same stage in its offspring
2
: life history sense 1

Medical Definition

life cycle

noun
1
: the series of stages in form and functional activity through which an organism passes between successive recurrences of a specified primary stage
2
: life history sense 1a

More from Merriam-Webster on life cycle

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about life cycle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All