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Synonyms

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.

life raft British  

noun

  1. a raft for emergency use at sea

"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

Etymology

Origin of life raft

First recorded in 1810–20

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.

He added that parts of a damaged life raft, an barrel of lubricants and footwear had washed ashore, and officials were trying to establish if they were from the sunk Dena.

From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026

Hudson encourages the audience to use Claire’s stubborn buoyancy and perky accent as a life raft when Lightning & Thunder are deluged by extremely bad luck.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025

I’m like the human life raft that everyone can come to when they need a little break.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

The searchers found a life raft but no sign of the Ouvéa or its crew.

From Slate • Jul. 22, 2025

I latched on to it, tightly as a life raft upon a churning ocean.

From "The Rock and the River" by Kekla Magoon

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.