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.

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life raft British  

noun

1. a raft for emergency use at sea

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Etymology

Origin of life raft

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

life raft

Carlson can sense a sinking ship, and he is jumping into a life raft.

From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2026

"In the end, we just held on to the upside-down life raft and floated. We were floating at sea for more than three hours," he said.

From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026

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

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2025

Once we were upright again, some swimmers, who had been dropped into the ocean by one of the Hornet’s helicopters, surrounded us and tied a life raft to our side.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

Related Words

• lifeboat
• rowboat
• skiff