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.
He said he had not seen any lifeboats aboard the ferry.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 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
The ice was so thin in some places that the heavy lifeboats cracked the floes and formed leads of seawater.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
