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Life vs. Time — What's the Difference?

Life vs. Time — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Life and Time

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Life

Life is a characteristic that distinguishes physical entities that have biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased (they have died), or because they never had such functions and are classified as inanimate. Various forms of life exist, such as plants, animals, fungi, protists, archaea, and bacteria.

Time

Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to compare the duration of events or the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change of quantities in material reality or in the conscious experience.

Life

The property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter, manifested in functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli or adaptation to the environment originating from within the organism.

Time

The indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
Travel through space and time
One of the greatest wits of all time

Life

The characteristic state or condition of a living organism.
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Time

A point of time as measured in hours and minutes past midnight or noon
The time is 9.30

Life

Living organisms considered as a group
Plant life.
Marine life.

Time

Time as allotted, available, or used
It would be a waste of time
We need more time

Life

A living being, especially a person
An earthquake that claimed hundreds of lives.

Time

An instance of something happening or being done; an occasion
This is the first time I have got into debt
The nurse came in four times a day

Life

The physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute existence
The artistic life of a writer.

Time

(following a number) expressing multiplication
Eleven times four is forty-four

Life

The interval of time between birth and death
She led a good, long life.

Time

The rhythmic pattern of a piece of music, as expressed by a time signature
Tunes in waltz time

Life

The interval of time between one's birth and the present
Has had hay fever all his life.

Time

Plan, schedule, or arrange when (something) should happen or be done
The bomb had been timed to go off an hour later
The first track race is timed for 11.15

Life

A particular segment of one's life
My adolescent life.

Time

Measure the time taken by (a process or activity, or a person doing it)
I timed how long it took to empty that tanker
We were timed and given certificates according to our speed

Life

The period from an occurrence until death
Elected for life.
Paralyzed for life.

Time

(of a computer or a program) cancel an operation automatically because a predefined interval of time has passed without a certain event happening
Some networks will time out if they don't see activity going to the printer
Connections are timed out when they're not in use

Life

(Slang) A sentence of imprisonment lasting till death.

Time

A nonspatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future.

Life

The time for which something exists or functions
The useful life of a car.

Time

An interval separating two points on this continuum; a duration
A long time since the last war.
Passed the time reading.

Life

A spiritual state regarded as a transcending of corporeal death.

Time

A number, as of years, days, or minutes, representing such an interval
Ran the course in a time just under four minutes.

Life

An account of a person's life; a biography.

Time

A similar number representing a specific point on this continuum, reckoned in hours and minutes
Checked her watch and recorded the time, 6:17 AM.

Life

Human existence, relationships, or activity in general
Real life.
Everyday life.

Time

A system by which such intervals are measured or such numbers are reckoned
Solar time.

Life

A manner of living
Led a hard life.

Time

Often times An interval, especially a span of years, marked by similar events, conditions, or phenomena; an era
Hard times.
A time of troubles.

Life

A specific, characteristic manner of existence. Used of inanimate objects
“Great institutions seem to have a life of their own, independent of those who run them” (New Republic).

Time

Times The present with respect to prevailing conditions and trends
You must change with the times.

Life

The activities and interests of a particular area or realm
Musical life in New York.

Time

A suitable or opportune moment or season
A time for taking stock of one's life.

Life

A source of vitality; an animating force
She's the life of the show.

Time

Periods or a period designated for a given activity
Harvest time.
Time for bed.

Life

Liveliness or vitality; animation
A face that is full of life.

Time

Periods or a period necessary or available for a given activity
I have no time for golf.

Life

Something that actually exists regarded as a subject for an artist
Painted from life.

Time

A period at one's disposal
Do you have time for a chat?.

Life

Actual environment or reality; nature.

Time

An appointed or fated moment, especially of death or giving birth
He died before his time. Her time is near.

Life

Of or relating to animate existence; involved in or necessary for living
Life processes.

Time

One of several instances
Knocked three times.
Addressed Congress for the last time before retirement.

Life

Continuing for a lifetime; lifelong
Life partner.
Life imprisonment.

Time

Times Used to indicate the number of instances by which something is multiplied or divided
This tree is three times taller than that one. My library is many times smaller than hers.

Life

Using a living model as a subject for an artist
A life sculpture.

Time

One's lifetime.

Life

(uncountable) The state of organisms preceding their death, characterized by biological processes such as metabolism and reproduction and distinguishing them from inanimate objects; the state of being alive and living.
Having experienced both, the vampire decided that he preferred (un)death to life.
He gave up on life.

Time

One's period of greatest activity or engagement.

Life

(biology) The status possessed by any of a number of entities, including animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, and sometimes viruses, which have the properties of replication and metabolism.

Time

A person's experience during a specific period or on a certain occasion
Had a good time at the party.

Life

The animating principle or force that keeps an inorganic thing or concept metaphorically alive (dynamic, relevant, etc) and makes it a "living document", "living constitution", etc.

Time

A period of military service.

Life

Lifeforms, generally or collectively.
It's life, but not as we know it.
She discovered plant life on the planet.
The rover discovered signs of life on the alien world.

Time

A period of apprenticeship.

Life

(countable) A living individual; the fact of a particular individual being alive. Chiefly when indicating individuals were lost (died) or saved.
Many lives were lost during the war.
Her quick thinking saved many dogs' lives.

Time

(Informal) A prison sentence.

Life

Existence.
Man's life on this planet has been marked by continual conflict.
The eternal life of the soul

Time

The customary period of work
Hired for full time.

Life

A worthwhile existence.
He gets up early in the morning, works all day long — even on weekends — and hardly sees his family. That's no life!
His life was ruined by drugs.

Time

The period spent working.

Life

A particular aspect of existence.
He struggled to balance his family life, social life and work life.
Sex life, political life

Time

The hourly pay rate
Earned double time on Sundays.

Life

(informal) Social life.
Get a life.

Time

The period during which a radio or television program or commercial is broadcast
"There's television time to buy" (Brad Goldstein).

Life

Something which is inherently part of a person's existence, such as job, family, a loved one, etc.
She's my love, my life.
Running the bakery is her life.

Time

The rate of speed of a measured activity
Marching in double time.

Life

A period of time during which something has existence.

Time

The meter of a musical pattern
Three-quarter time.

Life

The period during which one (a person, an animal, a plant; a civilization, species; a star; etc) is alive.

Time

The rate of speed at which a piece of music is played; the tempo.

Life

The span of time during which an object operates.
This light bulb is designed to have a life of 2,000 hours.

Time

Chiefly British The hour at which a pub closes.

Life

The period of time during which an object is recognizable.
The life of this milk carton may be thousands of years in this landfill.

Time

(Sports) A time-out.

Life

A particular phase or period of existence.

Time

Of, relating to, or measuring time.

Life

A period extending from a when a (positive or negative) office, punishment, etc is conferred on someone until that person dies (or, sometimes, reaches retirement age).

Time

Constructed so as to operate at a particular moment
A time release.

Life

Animation; spirit; vivacity.

Time

Payable on a future date or dates.

Life

The most lively component or participant.

Time

Of or relating to installment buying
Time payments.

Life

A biography.
His life of the founder is finished, except for the title.

Time

To set the time for (an event or occasion).

Life

Nature, reality, and the forms that exist in it.

Time

To adjust to keep accurate time.

Life

An opportunity for existence.

Time

To adjust so that a force is applied or an action occurs at the desired time
Timed his swing so as to hit the ball squarely.

Life

(video games) One of the player's chances to play, lost when the player's character dies or when certain mistakes are made.
Scoring 1000 points is rewarded with an extra life.

Time

To record the speed or duration of
Time a runner.

Life

A chance for the batter (or batting team) to bat again, given as a result of an misplay by a member of the fielding team.

Time

To set or maintain the tempo, speed, or duration of
Time a manufacturing process.

Life

One of a player's chances to play in various children's playground games, lost when a mistake is made, for example being struck by the ball in dodgeball.

Time

To speculate based on the anticipated short-term performance of (a market)
Time the stock market.

Life

The life insurance industry.
I work in life.

Time

(uncountable) The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.
Time stops for nobody.
The ebb and flow of time

Life

(countable) A life assured under a life assurance policy (equivalent to the policy itself for a single life contract).

Time

A dimension of spacetime with the opposite metric signature to space dimensions; the fourth dimension.
Both science-fiction writers and physicists have written about travel through time.

Life

(aviation) To replace components whose operational lifetime has expired.

Time

Change associated with the second law of thermodynamics; the physical and psychological result of increasing entropy.
Time slows down when you approach the speed of light.

Life

(obsolete) God's life

Time

The property of a system which allows it to have more than one distinct configuration.
An essential definition of time should entail neither speed nor direction, just change.

Life

The state of being which begins with generation, birth, or germination, and ends with death; also, the time during which this state continues; that state of an animal or plant in which all or any of its organs are capable of performing all or any of their functions; - used of all animal and vegetable organisms.

Time

A duration of time.

Life

Of human beings: The union of the soul and body; also, the duration of their union; sometimes, the deathless quality or existence of the soul; as, man is a creature having an immortal life.
She shows a body rather than a life.

Time

(uncountable) A quantity of availability of duration.
More time is needed to complete the project.
You had plenty of time, but you waited until the last minute.
Are you finished yet? Time’s up!

Life

The potential principle, or force, by which the organs of animals and plants are started and continued in the performance of their several and coöperative functions; the vital force, whether regarded as physical or spiritual.

Time

(countable) A measurement of a quantity of time; a numerical or general indication of a length of progression.
A long time;
Record the individual times for the processes in each batch.
Only your best time is compared with the other competitors.
The algorithm runs in O(n2) time.

Life

Figuratively: The potential or animating principle, also, the period of duration, of anything that is conceived of as resembling a natural organism in structure or functions; as, the life of a state, a machine, or a book; authority is the life of government.

Time

The serving of a prison sentence.
The judge leniently granted a sentence with no hard time.
He is not living at home because he is doing time.

Life

A certain way or manner of living with respect to conditions, circumstances, character, conduct, occupation, etc.; hence, human affairs; also, lives, considered collectively, as a distinct class or type; as, low life; a good or evil life; the life of Indians, or of miners.
That which before us lies in daily life.
By experience of life abroad in the world.
Lives of great men all remind usWe can make our lives sublime.
'T is from high life high characters are drawn.

Time

(countable) An experience.
We had a wonderful time at the party.

Life

Animation; spirit; vivacity; vigor; energy.
No notion of life and fire in fancy and in words.
That gives thy gestures grace and life.

Time

(countable) An era; (with the, sometimes in plural) the current era, the current state of affairs.
Roman times;
The time of the dinosaurs

Life

That which imparts or excites spirit or vigor; that upon which enjoyment or success depends; as, he was the life of the company, or of the enterprise.

Time

A person's youth or young adulthood, as opposed to the present day.
In my time, we respected our elders.

Life

The living or actual form, person, thing, or state; as, a picture or a description from, the life.

Time

Time out; temporary, limited suspension of play.

Life

A person; a living being, usually a human being; as, many lives were sacrificed.

Time

An instant of time.

Life

The system of animal nature; animals in general, or considered collectively.
Full nature swarms with life.

Time

(uncountable) How much of a day has passed; the moment, as indicated by a clock or similar device.
Excuse me, have you got the time?
What time is it, do you guess? Ten o’clock?
A computer keeps time using a clock battery.

Life

An essential constituent of life, esp: the blood.
The words that I speak unto you . . . they are life.
The warm life came issuing through the wound.

Time

(countable) A particular moment or hour; the appropriate moment or hour for something (especially with prepositional phrase or imperfect subjunctive).
It’s time for bed;
It’s time to sleep;
We must wait for the right time;
It's time we were going

Life

A history of the acts and events of a life; a biography; as, Johnson wrote the life of Milton.

Time

(countable) A numerical indication of a particular moment.
At what times do the trains arrive?;
These times were erroneously converted between zones

Life

Enjoyment in the right use of the powers; especially, a spiritual existence; happiness in the favor of God; heavenly felicity.

Time

(countable) An instance or occurrence.
When was the last time we went out? I don’t remember.
See you another time;
That’s three times he’s made the same mistake
Okay, but this is the last time. No more after that!

Life

Something dear to one as one's existence; a darling; - used as a term of endearment.

Time

Closing time.
Last call: it's almost time.

Life

A characteristic state or mode of living;
Social life
City life
Real life

Time

The hour of childbirth.

Life

The course of existence of an individual; the actions and events that occur in living;
He hoped for a new life in Australia
He wanted to live his own life without interference from others

Time

(as someone's time) The end of someone's life, conceived by the speaker as having been predestined.
It was his time.

Life

The experience of living; the course of human events and activities;
He could no longer cope with the complexities of life

Time

(countable) The measurement under some system of region of day or moment.
Let's synchronize our watches so we're not on different time.

Life

The condition of living or the state of being alive;
While there's life there's hope
Life depends on many chemical and physical processes

Time

(countable) Ratio of comparison.
Your car runs three times faster than mine;
That is four times as heavy as this

Life

The period during which something is functional (as between birth and death);
The battery had a short life
He lived a long and happy life

Time

Tense.
The time of a verb

Life

The period between birth and the present time;
I have known him all his life

Time

(music) The measured duration of sounds; measure; tempo; rate of movement; rhythmical division.
Common or triple time;
The musician keeps good time.

Life

Animation and energy in action or expression;
It was a heavy play and the actors tried in vain to give life to it

Time

To measure or record the time, duration, or rate of.
I used a stopwatch to time myself running around the block.

Life

An account of the series of events making up a person's life

Time

To choose when something begins or how long it lasts.
The President timed his speech badly, coinciding with the Super Bowl.
The bomb was timed to explode at 9:20 p.m.

Life

The period from the present until death;
He appointed himself emperor for life

Time

(obsolete) To keep or beat time; to proceed or move in time.

Life

A living person;
His heroism saved a life

Time

(obsolete) To pass time; to delay.

Life

Living things collectively;
The oceans are teeming with life

Time

To regulate as to time; to accompany, or agree with, in time of movement.

Life

A motive for living;
Pottery was his life

Time

To measure, as in music or harmony.

Life

The organic phenomenon that distinguishes living organisms from nonliving ones;
There is no life on the moon

Time

(tennis) Reminder by the umpire for the players to continue playing after their pause.

Life

A prison term lasting as long as the prisoner lives;
He got life for killing the guard

Time

The umpire's call in prizefights, etc.

Time

A call by a bartender to warn patrons that the establishment is closing and no more drinks will be served.

Time

Duration, considered independently of any system of measurement or any employment of terms which designate limited portions thereof.
The time wasteth [i. e. passes away] night and day.
I know of no ideas . . . that have a better claim to be accounted simple and original than those of space and time.

Time

A particular period or part of duration, whether past, present, or future; a point or portion of duration; as, the time was, or has been; the time is, or will be.
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets.

Time

The period at which any definite event occurred, or person lived; age; period; era; as, the Spanish Armada was destroyed in the time of Queen Elizabeth; - often in the plural; as, ancient times; modern times.

Time

The duration of one's life; the hours and days which a person has at his disposal.
Believe me, your time is not your own; it belongs to God, to religion, to mankind.

Time

A proper time; a season; an opportunity.
There is . . . a time to every purpose.
The time of figs was not yet.

Time

Hour of travail, delivery, or parturition.
She was within one month of her time.

Time

Performance or occurrence of an action or event, considered with reference to repetition; addition of a number to itself; repetition; as, to double cloth four times; four times four, or sixteen.
Summers three times eight save one.

Time

The present life; existence in this world as contrasted with immortal life; definite, as contrasted with infinite, duration.
Till time and sin together cease.

Time

Tense.

Time

The measured duration of sounds; measure; tempo; rate of movement; rhythmical division; as, common or triple time; the musician keeps good time.
Some few lines set unto a solemn time.

Time

To appoint the time for; to bring, begin, or perform at the proper season or time; as, he timed his appearance rightly.
There is no greater wisdom than well to time the beginnings and onsets of things.

Time

To regulate as to time; to accompany, or agree with, in time of movement.
Who overlooked the oars, and timed the stroke.
He was a thing of blood, whose every motionWas timed with dying cries.

Time

To ascertain or record the time, duration, or rate of; as, to time the speed of horses, or hours for workmen.

Time

To measure, as in music or harmony.

Time

To keep or beat time; to proceed or move in time.
With oar strokes timing to their song.

Time

To pass time; to delay.

Time

An instance or single occasion for some event;
This time he succeeded
He called four times
He could do ten at a clip

Time

An indefinite period (usually marked by specific attributes or activities);
He waited a long time
The time of year for planting
He was a great actor is his time

Time

A period of time considered as a resource under your control and sufficient to accomplish something;
Take time to smell the roses
I didn't have time to finish
It took more than half my time

Time

A suitable moment;
It is time to go

Time

The continuum of experience in which events pass from the future through the present to the past

Time

The time as given by a clock;
Do you know what time it is?
The time is 10 o'clock

Time

The fourth coordinate that is required (along with three spatial dimensions) to specify a physical event

Time

A person's experience on a particular occasion;
He had a time holding back the tears
They had a good time together

Time

Rhythm as given by division into parts of equal time

Time

The period of time a prisoner is imprisoned;
He served a prison term of 15 months
His sentence was 5 to 10 years
He is doing time in the county jail

Time

Measure the time or duration of an event or action or the person who performs an action in a certain period of time;
He clocked the runners

Time

Assign a time for an activity or event;
The candidate carefully timed his appearance at the disaster scene

Time

Set the speed, duration, or execution of;
We time the process to manufacture our cars very precisely

Time

Regulate or set the time of;
Time the clock

Time

Adjust so that a force is applied an an action occurs at the desired time;
The good player times his swing so as to hit the ball squarely

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