: 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
The last time anyone saw the Franklin expedition was when Inuit hunters encountered starving sailors dragging a lifeboat across the ice in Washington Bay, clad in wool rather than furs.
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Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
The ship carried about 2,240 passengers and crew, but not enough lifeboats to accommodate them all.
—George Petras, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2025
The only survivor was wheelman Harry W. Stewart, who swam a mile to shore after his lifeboat capsized.
—arkansasonline.com, 16 Mar. 2025
The crew deployed the Western Reserve’s two lifeboats and quickly evacuated everyone onboard.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2025
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Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
The ship carried about 2,240 passengers and crew, but not enough lifeboats to accommodate them all.
—George Petras, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2025
The only survivor was wheelman Harry W. Stewart, who swam a mile to shore after his lifeboat capsized.
—arkansasonline.com, 16 Mar. 2025
The crew deployed the Western Reserve’s two lifeboats and quickly evacuated everyone onboard.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 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 28 May. 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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