life raft

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

noun

1. a raft for emergency use at sea

Word History and Origins

Origin of life raft¹

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

Humor is his life raft because he neglects to plot much of a course around the seas of memory.

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Survivors escaped on the Bayesian's life raft and were rescued by a small boat dispatched from another nearby yacht, the report says.

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Janice, who is unwilling or unable to open up, is not nearly as needy as her spouse, who starts espousing biblical platitudes with the desperate certainty of a drowning man grateful for any life raft.

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The first Pat Brewin knew about her sister and brother-in-law being shipwrecked at sea in a dinghy and rubber life raft - tied together for nearly four months - was when she watched the News at 10.

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"Everything about the condition of the life rafts and safety issues on the boat went away," says Lisa.

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Related Words

• lifeboat 
• rowboat 
• skiff