Jaws of Life

American

Trademark.

a heavy-duty tool that can cut through metal or pry sections of it apart: used especially to free people trapped in wrecked vehicles.

jaws of life British

plural noun

(functioning as singular) powerful shears used for cutting a vehicle open after a collision

"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.

Firefighters were responding to a call when someone took the Jaws of Life from their equipment, officials said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2024

But Woods won’t say what led to his horrific crash Feb. 23 in which county firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to remove him from his vehicle.

From Washington Post • Dec. 10, 2021

The effort to cut into the rail car failed, even with the Jaws of Life equipment.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 28, 2021

Firefighters used the Jaws of Life, a tool normally employed to cut open smashed vehicles, to free the man.

From Washington Times • Mar. 1, 2020

Sheen also reportedly wants to title his autobiography Apocalypse Me: The Jaws of Life.

From Time • Mar. 30, 2011

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