lifesaver
Americannoun
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a person who rescues another from danger of death, especially from drowning.
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a person or thing that saves a person, as from a difficult situation or critical moment.
That money was a lifesaver.
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Chiefly British. a lifeguard.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of lifesaver
First recorded in 1880–85; life + saver ( def. )
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.
See Examples For:
"So many people round here can't get a dentist… so it's been an absolute lifesaver."
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
The low unemployment rate, perhaps the biggest surprise of the postpandemic labor market, has been a lifesaver for the economy.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 10, 2026
This new capital has been a lifesaver for private-equity firms, many of which have struggled to raise money from institutional investors for nearly four years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
But it didn’t yield era-defining singles like the pandemic lifesaver “Future Nostalgia” did.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2025
The thing about medication is that it’s a true lifesaver if you actually need it.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Others were lit by a representative of surf lifesavers and a Jewish community medic who rushed to the scene and began treating the injured before the shots had even stopped.
From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2025
Surf lifesavers across the country were joining the homage in solidarity before starting their morning patrols.
From Barron's ● Dec. 20, 2025
Like well-trained lifesavers, they ran towards the crash.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 22, 2022
Parents trained as lifesavers are their guides in the water, wearing orange rashies to further brighten the scene.
From New York Times ● Nov. 25, 2021
“No, not dead,” one of the lifesavers said.
From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
