lifeboat

[lahyf-boht]

noun

1. a double-ended ship's boat, constructed, mounted, and provisioned so as to be readily able to rescue and maintain persons from a sinking vessel.

2. a similarly constructed boat used by shore-based rescue services.

lifeboat

/ ˈlaɪfˌbəʊt /

noun

1. a boat, propelled by oars or a motor, used for rescuing people at sea, escaping from a sinking ship, etc

2. informal,  a fund set up by the dealers in a market to rescue any member who may become insolvent as a result of a collapse in market prices

Word History and Origins

Origin of lifeboat¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; life + boat

Example Sentences

The 1884 death of a cabin boy in a lifeboat was no accident.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Of the 1,065 people on board, 30 died when two lifeboats were pulled into the ship's propellers.

Read more on BBC

The UK Coastguard sent a Border Force vessel, two lifeboats and a helicopter to the scene – and issued a mayday call to other shipping in the area.

Read more on BBC

"The work we are doing, and zoos around Europe are doing, is really to be that lifeboat, to be that ark population."

Read more on BBC

But on seeing the lifeboat, many of those in the water decide to swim directly to it, and they are hauled on board.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• barge 
• canoe 
• catamaran 
• craft 
• dinghy 
• gondola 
• raft 
• sailboat 
• schooner 
• ship 
• yacht