life preserver

See synonyms for life preserver on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a buoyant jacket, belt, or other like device for keeping a person afloat.

  2. British Slang. a weapon, especially a short stick with a weighted head; blackjack.

Origin of life preserver

1
First recorded in 1630–40

Words Nearby life preserver

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use life preserver in a sentence

  • Gee, if you had to make fifty-seven beds with a life preserver on, you'd know what it is to be tired!

    Tom Slade with the Colors | Percy K. Fitzhugh

British Dictionary definitions for life preserver

life preserver

noun
  1. British a club or bludgeon, esp one kept for self-defence

  2. US and Canadian a life belt or life jacket

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