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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Passengers urinated off the ship’s side, tossed used red bags onto lifeboats and fights broke out. Emily Blackwood, People.com, 25 June 2025 There were no reported injuries among the 22 crew members of the Morning Midas, who were evacuated onto a lifeboat. Shane Croucher john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025 Crew members abandoned ship, were evacuated onto a lifeboat and rescued by the crew of a nearby merchant vessel called the Cosco Hellas in the North Pacific, roughly 300 miles southwest of Adak Island. Arkansas Online, 5 June 2025 Through his initial public addresses and self-styling, the image of what role Pope Leo XIV wants to play as supreme pontiff is becoming clearer — a figure that can work the same magic as Leo XIII, navigating an ancient institution into the depths of 21st-century turmoils as a lifeboat for the lost. Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 10 May 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Lifeboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lifeboat. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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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