lifeboat

noun

life·​boat ˈlīf-ˌbōt How to pronounce lifeboat (audio)
: a sturdy buoyant boat (such as one carried by a ship) for use in an emergency and especially in saving lives at sea

Examples of lifeboat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
There have been so many things involving Disney recently that bring to mind your Mickey Mouse work—and a new work in the show is Beached, a mummified self-portrait as Mickey Mouse on a Trump lifeboat. Sarah Douglas, ARTnews.com, 31 Oct. 2024 We were led down to the heated bunkroom, and the lifeboat turned and pounded through the wild seas to the quiet water inside the bar and tied up at a dock. Orval C. Johnson, Outdoor Life, 31 Oct. 2024 The wobbling of another ship, at the weight of over a thousand passengers and hordes of packages, stacked up to the awnings, stuffed above the lifeboats, piled even onto the anchor deck, preventing its use. Zining Mok, Longreads, 22 Oct. 2024 The show was originally cancelled after three seasons on Max, but Netflix was thought of as a possible lifeboat. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lifeboat 

Word History

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lifeboat was in 1797

Dictionary Entries Near lifeboat

Cite this Entry

“Lifeboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lifeboat. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

lifeboat

noun
life·​boat -ˌbōt How to pronounce lifeboat (audio)
: a sturdy boat (as one carried by a ship) for use in an emergency and especially for saving lives at sea
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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