n an assistant with power to act when his superior is absent
n an officer holding a commissioned rank in the United States Navy or the United States Coast Guard; below lieutenant commander and above lieutenant junior grade
n a characteristic state or mode of living
social life city life real life
n the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
he could no longer cope with the complexities of life
n 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
n 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
n 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
n the period between birth and the present time
I have known him all his life
n the period from the present until death
he appointed himself emperor for life
n a living person
his heroism saved a life
n animation and energy in action or expression
it was a heavy play and the actors tried in vain to give life to it
n living things collectively
the oceans are teeming with life
n the organic phenomenon that distinguishes living organisms from nonliving ones
there is no life on the moon
n an account of the series of events making up a person's life
n a motive for living
pottery was his life
n a prison term lasting as long as the prisoner lives
he got life for killing the guard
n unarmed woody rhizomatous perennial plant distinguished from wild sarsaparilla by more aromatic roots and panicled umbels; southeastern North America to Mexico