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
If Dopamine, with its low, labor-of-love operating costs, proves economically sustainable, it could be a life preserver in a perfect storm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2023
Harris and his Commanders may be her life preserver — at a cost.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 13, 2023
In fact, he looked like a rubber ball himself, wearing a 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.
