life preserver
Americannoun
-
a buoyant jacket, belt, or other like device for keeping a person afloat.
-
British Slang. a weapon, especially a short stick with a weighted head; blackjack.
noun
-
a club or bludgeon, esp one kept for self-defence
-
a life belt or life jacket
Etymology
Origin of life preserver
First recorded in 1630–40
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.
I let myself play the victim twice — first of the debt itself, then of the life preserver tossed to bring me back onboard.
From Salon • May 11, 2025
The measure “was simply a life preserver that was being thrown or could have been thrown to schools to stem the crisis,” he said.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 29, 2024
Isn’t it finally time for that life preserver?
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2022
What’s the likelihood of those owners giving Skipper Dan a financial life preserver with new investors?
From Washington Times • Nov. 3, 2022
Mr. Cranston, a large, shapeless man anyway, in a bowler hat and his windowpane plaid greatcoat under his life preserver.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
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.
