life buoy

American

noun

any of variously formed buoyant devices for supporting a person fallen into the water.

life buoy British

noun

any of various kinds of buoyant device for keeping people afloat in an emergency

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“For our servicemen this is a life buoy, because it ensures constant and fast communication.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Constitution, may be her best yet, a capacious work that lands at the right moment, like a life buoy, as our ship of state takes on water.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2025

"Life jacket, life buoy and their floating technique allow us 48 hours to save their lives," he said late on Monday.

From Reuters • Dec. 20, 2022

"I got my arm into the life buoy and the skipper went full ahead and pulled me out of the way. They got me on to the pilot boat."

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2022

She was entirely round, now, like a vast life buoy with piggy eyes, and her hands and feet stuck out weirdly as she drifted up into the air, making apoplectic popping noises.

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023