lifesaver

[ lahyf-sey-ver ]

/ ˈlaɪfˌseɪ vər /

noun

a person who rescues another from danger of death, especially from drowning.

a person or thing that saves a person, as from a difficult situation or critical moment: That money was a lifesaver.

Chiefly British. a lifeguard.

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Origin of lifesaver

First recorded in 1880–85; life + saver

OTHER WORDS FROM lifesaver

life·sav·ing, adjective, noun

Words nearby lifesaver

lifeline, lifelong, lifelong learning, lifemanship, lifer, lifesaver, lifesaving service, lifestream, lifestyle, lifestyle block, lifestyle business

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for life-saving

Life-saving vaccines for those illnesses and others are—without enough medical workers to disburse them—going unused.
Millions Promised for Ebola Not Adding Up|Abby Haglage|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now, one company is trying to minimize the potential danger of these (often necessary and life-saving) machines.
Are Routine Scans Causing Cancer?|Dale Eisinger|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Only she can make hetersoexuality sound like a life-saving elixir that I need to inject directly into my veins.
Lana Del Rey Makes Me Wish I Were Straight|Samantha Allen|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But then Looking suddenly discovered the life-saving qualities of tension, plot, and the power of a good love triangle.
How ‘Looking’ Suddenly Got Its Act Together|Tim Teeman|March 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The broader question is what is the proper cost of life-saving pharmaceuticals?
There’s a Life Saving New Drug. But You Can’t Afford It.|Kaiser Health News|February 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Life-saving seems to soften the heart," she reflected, grimly, conscious as always of her own reactions.
Dangerous Ages|Rose Macaulay
We are too busy, we have too many really important things to do, to worry ourselves about life-saving appliances.
Studies in love and in terror|Marie Belloc Lowndes
Lots of people seem to forget that the lighthouse-keeper is not the coast-guard or the head of the crew of a life-saving station.
Some Naval Yarns|Mordaunt Hall
I should be sorry to desert you all, but I'm sick of the very sound of 'life-saving'!
The New Girl at St. Chad's|Angela Brazil
Why, the penalty might be regarded as so violent there'd be no life-saving at all.
A Tale of Two Tunnels|William Clark Russell

British Dictionary definitions for life-saving

life-saving

adjective

acting to save a person's life

informal giving help in time of need

noun

the practice or techniques of saving people's lives

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