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life buoy

American  

noun

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


life buoy British  

noun

  1. 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

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See Examples For:

“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

I grabbed Grover and hauled him over to a life buoy.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

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