: 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
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Both spacecraft serve as lifeboats during a crew's long-duration space station stay.
—
William Harwood, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
This one starts with that shelter imploding under the strength of a massive radiation storm that displaces the Garrity clan in a hurry, and leaves them on a lifeboat to Europe in the wretched hope that someone on the continent will offer them a safe place to plant new roots.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 Jan. 2026
An even better move would have been for Rose (Kate Winslet) to stay on the lifeboat, giving Jack a better shot at survival on that floating door.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 31 Dec. 2025
Facing Russia’s pitiless attacks in Ukraine and a White House seemingly hungry for quick, rather than just, peace, Europe’s lifeboat for Ukraine – one clawed back from the jaws of division and delay – promises an emboldened friend to Kyiv in the uncertain months ahead.
—Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lifeboat
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William Harwood, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
This one starts with that shelter imploding under the strength of a massive radiation storm that displaces the Garrity clan in a hurry, and leaves them on a lifeboat to Europe in the wretched hope that someone on the continent will offer them a safe place to plant new roots.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 Jan. 2026
An even better move would have been for Rose (Kate Winslet) to stay on the lifeboat, giving Jack a better shot at survival on that floating door.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 31 Dec. 2025
Facing Russia’s pitiless attacks in Ukraine and a White House seemingly hungry for quick, rather than just, peace, Europe’s lifeboat for Ukraine – one clawed back from the jaws of division and delay – promises an emboldened friend to Kyiv in the uncertain months ahead.
—Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 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 14 Jan. 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
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