: 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
That’s bad news for hundreds of middling private equity firms waiting for a lifeboat that may never come.
—
Hank Tucker, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
My favorite part is the immersive show, particularly the experience of sitting in the lifeboat.
—Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
Both spacecraft serve as lifeboats during a crew's long-duration space station stay.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
Across the last 30 years of Venezuelan history, music has served as a series of emotional lifeboats.
—Leonor C. Suárez, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lifeboat
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Hank Tucker, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
My favorite part is the immersive show, particularly the experience of sitting in the lifeboat.
—Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
Both spacecraft serve as lifeboats during a crew's long-duration space station stay.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
Across the last 30 years of Venezuelan history, music has served as a series of emotional lifeboats.
—Leonor C. Suárez, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lifeboat
Cite this Entry
“Lifeboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lifeboat. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
