cradle-to-grave

[ kreyd-l-tuh-greyv ]

adjective

1. extending throughout one's life, from birth to death:

   a cradle-to-grave system of healthcare.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cradle-to-grave¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Such great, complicated artists don’t deserve the shallow cradle-to-grave treatment common to so many biopics, and thankfully, Ethan Hawke’s new film “Wildcat” isn’t that.

From Los Angeles Times

What it is doing now is no simple return to the classic cradle-to-grave benefits system.

From New York Times

Instead of a traditional cradle-to-grave biopic, this film would be devoted to a single, two-year timespan.

From BBC

For a quarter century, voters across the Netherlands have grown increasingly disgruntled as successive governments — despite high levels of taxation — were unable to stop the erosion of cradle-to-grave benefits citizens had come to expect for things like education, health care and pensions.

From Seattle Times

"There appears to be no understanding that it is in absolute contravention of international law, to detain children in what appears to be an unending cycle of cradle-to-grave detention," she said.

From Reuters

Related Words

• career
• life
• period