: a sturdy buoyant boat (such as one carried by a ship) for use in an emergency and especially in saving lives at sea
Examples of lifeboat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Of the 1,065 people on board, 30 died, many of them when two lifeboats were drawn into the still-turning propellers.
—
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
For a good part of the show, the action takes place with the four leads onstage confined to a lifeboat.
—Adam Bell, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
No bodies, no lifeboats, no explanation.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Many vestiges of the ship’s seafaring past remain intact, however, from a claustrophobia-inducing propeller shaft to six original lifeboats hanging from pulleys on either side of the vessel.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
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Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
For a good part of the show, the action takes place with the four leads onstage confined to a lifeboat.
—Adam Bell, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
No bodies, no lifeboats, no explanation.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Many vestiges of the ship’s seafaring past remain intact, however, from a claustrophobia-inducing propeller shaft to six original lifeboats hanging from pulleys on either side of the vessel.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lifeboat
Cite this Entry
“Lifeboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lifeboat. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lifeboat
noun
life·boat
-ˌbōt 
: a sturdy boat (as one carried by a ship) for use in an emergency and especially for saving lives at sea
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