life raft

American  

noun

1. a raft, often inflatable, for use in emergencies, as when a ship must be abandoned or when a plane is downed at sea.

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life raft British  

noun

1. a raft for emergency use at sea

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Etymology

Origin of life raft

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

Carlson can sense a sinking ship, and he is jumping into a life raft.

From Salon • Apr. 27, 2026

He added that parts of a damaged life raft, an barrel of lubricants and footwear had washed ashore, and officials were trying to establish if they were from the sunk Dena.

From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026

Hudson encourages the audience to use Claire’s stubborn buoyancy and perky accent as a life raft when Lightning & Thunder are deluged by extremely bad luck.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025

I’m like the human life raft that everyone can come to when they need a little break.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

So the sound of helium-pitched cartoon characters had to be the life raft for this sinking ship of awkwardness.

From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• lifeboat
• rowboat
• skiff