lifeboat
noun
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.
lifeboats
-
pluralof lifeboat.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
The crews were transported to shore on lifeboats, they said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
"We simply couldn't rescue everyone in time. There were too few rescue personnel, and the lifeboats they brought were too small, they couldn't travel very far."
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
They lower themselves into one of the few lifeboats, leaving Jim on deck: Should he flee like a rat or wake the sleeping passengers, knowing that they, and he, cannot survive?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
Here are some of our favorite lifeboats during a year of rough seas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025
“It is a lifeboat drill. All the passengers report to the open deck and stand by the lifeboats to be counted.”
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
