lifeline

noun

life·​line ˈlīf-ˌlīn 

1

: a line (such as a rope) used for saving or preserving life: such as

a

: a line along the outer edge of the deck of a boat or ship

b

: a line used to keep contact with a person (such as a diver or astronaut) in a dangerous or potentially dangerous situation

2

: something regarded as indispensable for the maintaining or protection of life

Examples of lifeline in a Sentence

The river is the town's lifeline.

The new jobs were an economic lifeline for a city in need of help.

The radio was their lifeline to the outside world.

They threw a lifeline to the man overboard.

Recent Examples on the Web

Thylacine research, by the same token, might be a lifeline for koalas by spurring the development of assistive reproductive technologies for marsupials. — Taylor Dotson, Scientific American, 10 July 2026

In recent years, officials across the country have embraced office-to-housing conversions as a potential lifeline for downtown business districts that have struggled since the pandemic. — ABC News, 10 July 2026

The United States also issued a waiver for Iran to sell oil on the global market as part of the MOU, a major concession that briefly offered the country an economic lifeline before it was revoked July 7. — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 8 July 2026

And as a high school diploma increasingly became an economic lifeline, the number of high schools grew an average of one per day for 30 years. — Tim Knowles, Fortune, 8 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1700, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lifeline

• alkaline
• andesine
• anodyne
• anticline
• arginine
• asinine
• benzidine
• borderline
• byzantine
• calamine
• caroline
• centerline

Kids Definition

lifeline

noun

life·​line ˈlī-ˌflīn 

1

: a line persons may hang on to for safety or rescue

2

: something providing help or support that is needed for success or survival