As a Noun: 1. The quality which people, animals, and plants have when they are not dead and which objects and substances do not have. English = life. 2. The period of time during which someone is alive. English = life. As a Verb or Adjective: 1. Of people, animals, and plants to have the quality of not being dead. English = (be) alive, (be) living. Interactive: 1. Used alone to express the judgement that you or someone you are talking about has only just managed to do something or avoid some problem. English = 'Phew! I/you/he just scraped through!', 'Boy, that was a close call!'