From cradle to grave

Meaning

The idiom "from cradle to grave" means from birth until death, or the entirety of a person's life. It is often used to refer to a situation that persists throughout someone's entire life, or to describe something that has been a part of a person's life since they were born.

Usage

• The family had always been very close, and even though they grew up in different parts of the country, they remained connected from cradle to grave.
• She knew she had to plan for retirement from cradle to grave because she didn't want to worry about money later on in life.
• His love for music started when he was just a child, and it continued until his death at the age of 80 - truly from cradle to grave.
• The company had been around for over 150 years, providing a product that people used from birth until death - from cradle to grave.
• He had always loved adventure, and he knew that it would be a part of his life from cradle to grave.

Roots and History

The idiom "from cradle to grave" has been in use for centuries. The phrase comes from the idea that all of a person's life is spent in one continuous cycle, from birth to death. Its meaning and usage have remained largely consistent over time, but it has become more commonly used in contemporary language as people talk about their entire lives and the things that are important to them throughout that time.

Synonyms in English

• From birth until death
• The entirety of someone's life
• From infancy until adulthood
• From youth until old age
• From childhood until death

Synonyms in other languages

• French: De la naissance jusqu'à la mort
• Spanish: De la nacimiento hasta la muerte
• German: Von Geburt bis zum Tod
• Italian: Da natalizio a morte
• Portuguese: De nascimento até a morte

Similar Idioms

• zero hour

• light of one’s life

• fiddle while Rome burns