life raft

American  

noun

1. a raft, often inflatable, for use in emergencies, as when a ship must be abandoned or when a plane is downed at sea.

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life raft British  

noun

1. a raft for emergency use at sea

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Etymology

Origin of life raft

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

Luc gestured for me to watch him, and once I did his eyes seemed like a life raft; he nodded along with every word that came out of my mouth.

From Literature

"Music before my dad died was a vehicle to get me somewhere - to go off and tour. After he died I realised what it actually was - it was a life raft," he said.

From BBC

Sri Lanka discharged 22 Iranian crew from hospital who were plucked from life rafts after their warship was sunk by a US submarine, officials said Sunday.

From Barron's

The Indian Navy deployed a long-range maritime patrol aircraft to support the search and kept another aircraft with air-droppable life rafts on standby.

From BBC

He added that, at the time rescue operations were launched, rescuers had not seen the vessel - nor any other ships in the region - but saw oil patches and life rafts floating on the water.

From BBC

Related Words

• lifeboat
• rowboat
• skiff