life

Phrases

bring (or come) to life

regain or cause to regain consciousness or return as if from death:all this was of great interest to her, as if she were coming to life after a long sleep

(with reference to a fictional character or inanimate object) cause or seem to be alive or real:he brings the character of MacDonald to life with power and precision all the puppets came to life again

make or become active, lively, or interesting:soon, with the return of the peasants and fishermen, the village comes to life again you can bring any room to life with these coordinating cushions

do anything for a quiet life

make any concession to avoid being disturbed.

for dear (or one's) life

as if or in order to escape death:I clung to the tree for dear life Sue struggled free and ran for her life

for the life of me

informal however hard I try; even if my life depended on it:I can’t for the life of me understand what it is you see in that place

frighten the life out of

terrify.

get a life

[often in imperative] informal start living a fuller or more interesting existence:if he’s a lout, then get yourself out of there and get a life

give one's life for

die for.

(as) large as life

informal used to emphasize that a person is conspicuously present:he was standing nearby, large as life

larger than life

seeming disproportionately important, interesting, etc.; attracting much attention:your problems seem larger than life at that time of night

life and limb

see limb¹.

the life of the party

a vivacious and sociable person.

life in the fast lane

see fast lane.

one's life's work

the work (especially that of an academic or artistic nature) accomplished in or pursued throughout someone’s lifetime.

lose one's life

be killed:he lost his life in a car accident

a matter of life and death

a matter of vital importance.

not on your life

informal said to emphasize one’s refusal to comply with a request:“I want to see Clare alone.” “Not on your life,” said Buzz

save someone's (or one's own) life

prevent someone’s (or one’s own) death:the driver of the truck managed to save his life by leaping out of the cab

informal provide much-needed relief from boredom or a difficult situation.

see life

gain a wide experience of the world, especially its more pleasurable aspects.

take one's life in one's own hands

risk being killed.

take someone's (or one's own) life

kill someone (or oneself).

that's life

an expression of one’s acceptance of a situation, however difficult:we’ll miss each other, but still, that’s life

this is the life

an expression of contentment with one’s present circumstances:Ice cubes clinked in crystal glasses. “This is the life,” she said

to the life

exactly like the original:there he was, Nathan to the life, sitting at a table

to save one's life

[with modal and negative] even if one’s life were to depend on it:she couldn’t stop crying now to save her life