noun
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a boat, propelled by oars or a motor, used for rescuing people at sea, escaping from a sinking ship, etc
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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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lifeboat
Explanation
A lifeboat is a small boat that's kept on a bigger ship in case of emergency. It’s much more fun than a deathboat. Large ships usually have enough lifeboats for every passenger on board. Hear that, Titanic? When the giant ship Titanic sank, there weren’t enough lifeboats for everyone. If you’re on a ship that’s going down, a lifeboat (one word) could save your life. Some lifeboats are made of hard materials like fiberglass, while others are inflatable. Another kind of lifeboat is launched from shore or a Coast Guard ship to rescue people who need help at sea, if, for example, they're on a sinking fishing boat.
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.
In a time of distress, like a recession, “there’s a pecking order to who gets in the lifeboat first,” Ed Al-Hussainy, portfolio manager at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, told Barron’s late last year.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
In Q lab, one scientist mentions discovering the "lifeboat with a minibar" that appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me, observing: "I guess things were different in the 80s."
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
Five astronauts had briefly entered the docked Dragon spacecraft as a precautionary measure -- the capsule functions as a lifeboat of sorts in the case an evacuation is needed.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
For Katherine Diaz of Torrance, the “KPop Demon Hunters” craze has been a welcome lifeboat.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026
He was a small, wiry white-haired man and was acting the way I'd been told captains should act He stood by the lifeboat in the fire’s glow, very alert, giving orders to the crew.
From "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor
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.
