- the series of developmental changes in form undergone by a particular type of organism from its earliest stage to the recurrence of the same stage in the next generation
- any series of changes like this
The life cycle of a butterfly.
The definition of a life cycle is the series of changes that happen to a living creature over the course of its lifetime.
An example of life cycle is a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"life cycle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle>.
APA Style
life cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle
life cycle
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"life cycle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle>.
APA Style
life cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle
life cycle
noun
- The course of developmental changes through which an organism passes from its inception through the stage at which it reproduces.
- A progression through a series of differing stages of development: the life cycle of a star.
- The span of a product's existence from its initial development through the period of marketing and active use to eventual obsolescence.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"life cycle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle>.
APA Style
life cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle
The series of changes in the growth and development of an organism from its beginning as an independent life form to its mature state in which offspring are produced. In simple organisms, such as bacteria, the life cycle begins when an organism is produced by fission and ends when that organism in turn divides into two new ones. In organisms that reproduce sexually, the life cycle may be thought of as beginning with the fusion of reproductive cells to form a new organism. The cycle ends when that organism produces its own reproductive cells, which then begin the cycle again by undergoing fusion with other reproductive cells. The life cycles of plants, algae, and many protists often involve an alternation between a generation of organisms that reproduces sexually and another that reproduces asexually.
See more at alternation of generations
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"life cycle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle>.
APA Style
life cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle
Noun
(plural life cycles)
- (biology) The course of stages through which an organism passes from fertilized zygote until maturity, reproduction, and death.
- (by extension) The useful life of a product or system; the developmental history of an individual or group in society.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"life cycle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle>.
APA Style
life cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle
life cycle - Computer Definition
Computer Desktop Encyclopedia THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher. © 1981-2017 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"life cycle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle>.
APA Style
life cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle
life cycle - Investment & Finance Definition
A versatile term that applies to the lifetime of a product or business. Business life cycles are characterized by a start up phase, a period of growth, maturity, and closure.
Webster's New World Finance and Investment Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"life cycle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle>.
APA Style
life cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle
life cycle - Medical Definition
n.
- The course of developmental changes through which an organism passes from its inception through the stage at which it reproduces.
- A progression through a series of differing stages of development: the life cycle of a star.
- The span of a product's existence from its initial development through the period of marketing and active use to eventual obsolescence.
The American Heritage Dictionary of Medicine © 2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"life cycle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle>.
APA Style
life cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/life-cycle
Sentence Examples
- The continuous nature of the knots may also represent the life-cycle of all living things as well as the circular (never ending) pattern of life and spiritual growth.
- LTK: What are some of the challenges of a green company that maintains green practices for the entire product life-cycle?
- BT: In addition to being a green product in content and throughout the entire product life-cycle, TAP provides the added benefit of responsible, proactive, preventative pest control which is not provided with other forms of insulation.
- In one of the best-known species, Cicada septemdecim, from North America, the life-cycle is said to extend over seventeen years.
- Generally the larval is the feeding, the imaginal the breeding, stage of the life-cycle.
» more...
Words near life cycle in the dictionary
- life cycle
- life-cycles
- life estate
- life-estate