lifeline

American  

[lahyf-lahyn] / ˈlaɪfˌlaɪn /

noun

• lifelines
  plural

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 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 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.

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lifeline British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• lifelines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lifeline

First recorded in 1690–1700; life + line ¹

Explanation

A lifeline is a safety feature on a boat, a rope that either protects you from falling off or that you can throw to someone who's drowning. If you stumble off your friend's sailboat into the water, she'll throw you a lifeline. When sailors need to rescue a swimmer or a clumsy passenger, it helps to have a lifeline handy. And when you receive other kinds of vital support or help — a mobile phone, or a job recommendation, or a scholarship for college, for example — you can also call them lifelines. This figurative meaning has been around since the 19th century, while the "live-saving rope" definition is the earliest one, from about 1700.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lifeline lifelines

“They’re a lifeline for working Americans who may not otherwise have a dignified retirement.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

When Susan Jamison was diagnosed with epilepsy as a teenager in 1986, sodium valproate felt like a lifeline.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

"AI has thrown developing economies a lifeline, and they should seize it," Indermit Gill, chief economist of the World Bank Group, said as the organization launched its annual World Development Report.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

For our early ancestors, body fat was a lifeline: too little could mean starvation, too much could slow you down.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

The Fate held up the snippet of blue yam—and I knew it was the same one I’d seen four years ago, the lifeline I’d watched them snip.

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

"But there is also a serious point about how we communicate with each other and how these phone boxes are often vital rural lifelines."

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Aschenbrenner scrambled for lifelines while preparing for his unfortunately timed wedding in a seaside town in Northern California.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

But "the lack of key lifelines -- water, power" has hit locals hard, said Hiroyuki Matsushima, 53, who works at a supermarket in Yatsushiro, one of the districts where shaking was strongest.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

The construction workers "lacked safety gear" like hardhats, boots, safety belts and lifelines, and worked under poor lighting and with no visible safety signages, she added.

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

Stretching from the front pulpit to a back stanchion and all around the Frog were stainless-steel lifelines rigged in stout stainless-steel posts.

From "The Voyage Of The Frog" by Gary Paulsen