lifeboat

[ lahyf-boht ]
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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.

Origin of lifeboat

1
First recorded in 1795–1805; life + boat

Words Nearby lifeboat

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How to use lifeboat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lifeboat

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

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