life preserver

noun

Definition of life preserver

1 : a device (such as a life jacket or life buoy) designed to save a person from drowning by providing buoyancy in water

2 chiefly British : blackjack sense 2

Examples of life preserver in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s me in the waves holding onto a surfboard like a life preserver. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "Microsoft is more valuable than Apple again. Why?," 30 Nov. 2018 The fixes were black rings that loop around the animals’ midsections like life preservers and are made of neoprene, which provides buoyancy, is soft on a sea dragon and can withstand saltwater. — Karin Brulliard, The Seattle Times, "To save fish that can’t swim, veterinarian made them tiny floaties," 4 Sep. 2018 None of the passengers was wearing a life preserver, according to an incident report filed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. — Kris Maher, WSJ, "Family of Duck Boat Victims Sues Tour Operator," 30 July 2018 Passengers from a nearby boat then noticed her, threw her life preservers and jumped in to help her. — Eileen Reslen, Country Living, "Duck Boat Tragedy Survivor Recounts Her Horrifying Experience: 'I Thought I Was Dead'," 23 July 2018 His life preserver failed to inflate and his bulletproof armor tugged him under water to his death. — Carl Prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Back in San Diego, Wingman Foundation aids families of killed crews," 2 May 2018 The county provides life preservers for free at several borrowing stations along the American River. — Claire Morgan And Jordan Cutler-tietjen, sacbee, "Unconscious 14-year-old girl pulled out of American River, officials say," 18 June 2018 What appears to be a life preserver comes to Frank in the form of a song he and Sam have recorded. — Rick Bentley, kansascity, "‘Hearts Beat Loud’ delivers a resounding message of love," 14 June 2018 The Wingman Life Jacket from Hyde Sportswear weighs just 1.6 pounds and has a small CO2 cylinder at the neck to turn the vest into a buoyant life preserver. — Sarah Hauer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "No deal for Milwaukee startup Hyde Sportswear on 'Shark Tank'," 21 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'life preserver.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.