lifeline

[lahyf-lahyn]

noun

1. a line, fired across a ship or boat, by means of which a hawser for a breeches buoy may be hauled aboard.

2. a line or rope for saving life, as one attached to a lifeboat.

3. any of various lines line running above the decks, spars, etc., of a ship or boat to give sailors something to grasp when there is danger of falling or being washed away.

4. a wire safety rope supported by stanchions along the edge of the deck of a yacht.

5. the line by which a diver is lowered and raised.

6. any of several anchored lines line used by swimmers for support.

7. a route or means of transportation or communication for receiving or delivering food, medicine, or assistance.

   This road is the town's lifeline and must be kept open despite the snow.

8. assistance at a critical time.

lifeline

/ ˈlaɪfˌlaɪn /

noun

1. a line thrown or fired aboard a vessel for hauling in a hawser for a breeches buoy

2. any rope or line attached to a vessel or trailed from it for the safety of passengers, crew, swimmers, etc

3. a line by which a deep-sea diver is raised or lowered

4. a vital line of access or communication

Word History and Origins

Origin of lifeline¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; life + line ¹

Example Sentences

It’s an extraordinary tool—camera, compass, communicator, encyclopedia, studio, lifeline.

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For nearly two decades, the U.S. provided a lifeline to Haiti: duty-free textile imports that drew American apparel manufacturers and created tens of thousands of jobs in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country.

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The arrangement, by sidestepping the international banking system, has provided a lifeline to Iran’s sanctions-squeezed economy.

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Afghan women have told the BBC that the internet was a lifeline to the outside world since the Taliban banned girls over the age of 12 from receiving an education.

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A music shop owner has said the surge in people buying physical-format music like vinyl has a been "lifeline".

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